UNICEF Cooking Classes Aid 3,500 Mothers Combat Child Malnutrition Sindh

In rural Sindh province, Pakistan, nearly half of children under five suffer from malnutrition, with 20% experiencing severe wasting, despite the region's proximity to Karachi, the country's financial hub. To combat this, UNICEF has developed cooking classes for mothers, teaching affordable and nutrient-rich recipes using ingredients like semolina and lentils, which are easily accessible and cost-effective. Mothers such as Shahnaz and Kulsoom have transformed their children's diets through these classes, leading to improved health outcomes and reducing malnutrition. The program has reached approximately 3,500 mothers in the area, where large families are common and contraception remains taboo. Social workers actively dispel food myths and emphasize varied diets, helping to lift children out of malnutrition. These initiatives address the urgent need for nutritional education in a region where poverty and traditional practices have contributed to alarming rates of child malnutrition.