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Crisis leaves children starving

Source
Japan Economic Newswire - March 23, 1999,

Christine T. Tjandraningsih – The ongoing economic crisis that has plagued Indonesia since the middle of 1997 has left children hungry in the country, with at least 610 reported to have died in recent months from malnutrition, international organizations said Tuesday.

"UNICEF is extremely concerned about the deteriorating nutritional situation affecting ... infants and very young children," Stephen Woodhouse, resident staff member of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), told a press conference.

Woodhouse said the 610 is the "reported figure, so in reality, there must be more. For every child who dies due to severe malnutrition, there are nine who die due to the mild or moderate unseen forms," he added.

Martin Bloem, director of the Hellen Keller International for Southeast Asia, said the economic crisis in Indonesia has resulted in lower intakes of animal products and a decrease in health services, increasing cases of malnutrition and diarrhea.

These, in turn, have led to more deaths of children under five, he said. "You will lose one generation if you can't act," Bloem said.

UNICEF also expressed concern about the root causes of the worsening nutritional situation. "Of particular danger is the steady reduction in savings and sale of assets ... which clearly represents a 'coping mechanism' for the numerous families whose income has declined," Woodhouse said.

"Poor people who now make up a very substantial proportion of Indonesia's total population are selling assets and spending savings in order to buy necessities," he said.

A study conducted by the Helen Keller International shows that Indonesian households without savings have increased 10 to 15% in every social group from mid-1997 levels.

The two international organizations shared the view that urban areas throughout the country and the island of Java as a whole are the worst affected by the crisis.

To help cope with the situation, UNICEF plans to sell 9 million packages of red rice at highly-subsidized prices through 11,000 integrated health and service posts in 2,500 villages.

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