Well begun is half done, this one liner is one of those cliches we listen to almost every day. But looking closely to it you will find that it is some what right. If a proper start is given then the outcome can be quite fruitful and that too in the long run. This is what I could grasp from the slogan of start healthy and stay healthy the campaign Nestle Pakistan has launched to create awareness about child development and how first 1000 days of child’s life (from the tome of conception) are very important.
As part of this awareness campaign Nestle organised a bloggers’ meet in Lahore at Pearl Continental hotel on 17th October 2015. The event was short simple and precise to the point, which started with an interactive activity conducted by the ceremony master Sara Muzzammil.
In my humble opinion the main highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of nutritionist Dr. Huma Fahim, Medical Adviser at Nestle Pakistan, who talked about the first 1000 days of a child’s life from conception till the age of two years. The first two years signify the direst timefor the development and growth of a child. That presentation was quite informative and I ended up educating myself with many new facts that I had no idea about before.
کیا یہ کھلا تضاد نہیں؟؟؟ https://t.co/wEcsc37td7
— Rai M. Azlan (@Mussanaf) October 17, 2015
Pakistan is 9th most obese country in the world, says Dr #HumaFaheem #First1000Days — Rai M. Azlan (@Mussanaf) October 17, 2015
in Pakistan every 3rd person is overweight #frist1000Days
— Rai M. Azlan (@Mussanaf) October 17, 2015
chubby doe not mean healthy…. ہائے میرا بچہ کتنا دبلا ہو گیا ہے has done a lot of harm Dr #HumaFaheem #First1000Days — Rai M. Azlan (@Mussanaf) October 17, 2015
Thank you Dr Huma for raising height issue… Average human height in Pakistan is decreasing thanks to malnutrition #First1000Days
— Rai M. Azlan (@Mussanaf) October 17, 2015
This is how we are treating our children for last 50 yeas our kids are facing corniche malnutrition #first1000days pic.twitter.com/jdXLlpi7zc — Rai M. Azlan (@Mussanaf) October 17, 2015
Pakistan lies nearly USD 3bn in GDP to vitamin & mineral deficiencies says #WorldBank #First1000Days
— Rai M. Azlan (@Mussanaf) October 17, 2015
Human develops his/her tastebuds while in mother’s womb says Dr #HumaFaheem #First1000Days — Rai M. Azlan (@Mussanaf) October 17, 2015
Our worst crime is neglecting the foundation of life #first1000days pic.twitter.com/nGKbmWnYHh
— Rai M. Azlan (@Mussanaf) October 17, 2015
میری پرچی میں سے ایسی pg18 قسم کی چیزیں ہیں کیوں نکلتی ہیں. On A serious note this is important #first1000days pic.twitter.com/9A50RpRXIy — Rai M. Azlan (@Mussanaf) October 17, 2015
جناب @aey نے ہمیں یہ پرچی دی ہے ٹوٹنے کے لیے اللہ ان کے کاروبار میں برکت عطا فرمائے آمین ماشاءاللہ #first1000days pic.twitter.com/VvmIUx6TXx
— Rai M. Azlan (@Mussanaf) October 17, 2015
Dr. Huma also shed some light on the matter of mal nutrition in Pakistan as a fellow blogger Farhan wrote on his blog:
Almost 50% of the children population in Pakistan is currently a victim of malnutrition which is due to proper food, lack of fresh and hygenic water and lack of essential minerals that are vital for a child’s development such as iron and zinc. Currently according to a survey conducted Pakistan ranks 3rd in the world when it comes to malnutrition which is alarming.
The event also featured a talk by Shah Mujeeb ud Din Country Compliance Manager at Nestle. Mr Shah said that Nestlé is an expert in nutrition and it considers it as a responsibility to these expertise. He also pointed out that the awareness about what should be eaten is the most important thing of this time. While talking about the nutrition value he said that for a child’s growth proper nutrition is very important and there is nothing as complete diet for a child as breast feeding up to the age of two years. He further added that it is quite unjust to expose a child to processed powdered milk which cannot be a complete alternate to the natural diet.
The event ended with a question answer session which helped busting some myths followed by a networking tea. Holding such events and inviting younger audience is quite a commendable job as bloggers and social media celebrities showed great interest towards the talks which was evident in the question answer and networking session. It is also quite commendable that Nestle has stepped forward to spread such awareness about the nutrition and value of natural sources of such nutrition.
From @nestlepakistan with love #first1000days Thank you @aey bhai for inviting #thankyouAhsanBhaiSharif A photo posted by Rai M Azlan (@rai_azlan) on
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