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Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Adam Navis.
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And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Naseema lives in northern Afghanistan. In this area it is common that children do not live very long. Naseema was mother to eleven children. But now, only four are left. Naseema told her story to the BBC.
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Naseema had six week old twins - babies that were born at the same time. Her babies were not growing, and Naseema was doing all she thought she could. Her body was not producing enough milk to feed the babies. So, she fed them water with a little sugar. She added dry powdered milk whenever she could pay for it. But the babies continued to be unhealthy.
Finally, Naseema visited a local health clinic. In only one month her situation changed completely! The health workers showed Naseema how to improve her diet. The amount of milk in her breasts increased. And the workers showed Naseema how to help her babies connect to her breast in a correct way. Today, Naseema’s baby twins are healthy and growing.
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Today’s Spotlight is on saving the lives of babies in Afghanistan. Improving women’s health by sharing information about breastfeeding and providing skilled female health workers can change the future for this country.
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Afghanistan has one of the highest infant death rates in the world. The United Nation’s Children’s Fund, UNICEF, says that about one in every seven Afghan children will die before their first birthday. There are many reasons for these sad facts.
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Many Afghan women do not get the healthy food they need. Afghanistan has been a country in conflict for many years. Conflicts can make it difficult for people to get the resources they need. People also lack information about a good diet. People need vitamins and minerals in their diets to be healthy. But they may not know which foods have the most good things in them. Regina Keith is an aid worker from the group Save The Children UK. She says that many women give their best food to the men. This means the women may not get enough good food for themselves.
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Without enough food women’s bodies become weak. When a woman’s body is weak, she may have a more difficult time breastfeeding. Problems with breastfeeding are another reason for the poor health of mothers and babies in Afghanistan.
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A mother’s breast milk is the perfect food for babies. So, whenever possible, it is best for a mother to breastfeed her baby. Rosie Dodds works for the National Childcare Trust in the United Kingdom. She says,
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“UNICEF estimates about one and a half million [1,500,000] babies globally, die because they are not breastfed.”
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Mothers need to have enough good food to produce milk for their babies. But they also need more information about breastfeeding. For example, when a baby is newly born, his mother’s breasts begin to produce a substance called “colostrum.” This “early milk” is not like normal milk. It is thick and has a yellow color. Colostrum is low in fat. It contains many substances a baby needs to be healthy - like protein, carbohydrates, and antibodies to prevent the baby from becoming sick.
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Sadly, in many countries, including Afghanistan, there are wrong beliefs about colostrum. Regina Keith says that about forty percent of mothers in Afghanistan do not give colostrum to their babies. They believe it is dirty and infected. Instead, many women give their babies a mixture of sugar and water from a bottle. These women believe they are helping their babies. However, this custom can cause harm. That is because it takes a few days for a mother’s body to produce real milk. Sometimes a baby can forget how to breastfeed if he bottle feeds during these early days. A mother’s body produces milk based on a baby’s demand for breastfeeding. So, if a baby does not breastfeed early on, the mother’s body does not know how much milk to produce. Often these mothers do not produce enough milk for their babies.
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For any mother and baby breastfeeding can be very difficult. Babies may have a difficult time connecting to the breast. Infections or wounds can also make the process difficult. If a woman has problems breastfeeding, she may need help and advice from a doctor. However, cultural beliefs in Afghanistan prevent many women from seeing male doctors. And there are not many female doctors. It is even difficult for a woman to get care when there is a life-threatening problem for her or her baby. Nagis is an Afghan woman. In 2006 she had a baby girl at home. A few days later, the baby died. She could not get health care because there were no female health care workers there. Nagis says:
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“It is generally not culturally acceptable here for men to treat women.”
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But there is hope for Afghan women. Many aid groups are working with Afghan health workers to give women information about breastfeeding. They are also working to encourage women health workers back to these areas. The aid group Save The Children UK is currently helping to train Afghan women to become health workers in country villages. These health workers can then improve breastfeeding customs in their own villages.
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Save The Children UK is also working in the Afghan hospitals to provide more and better services to women and children. There they can give women advice and help on breastfeeding.
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Other groups are also working to provide more women health workers in Afghanistan. Lady Health Workers is a group that began in 1994 in Pakistan. Pakistan is next to Afghanistan. The two countries share many cultural beliefs about women. Many women in Pakistan are also prevented from seeking health care. But in Pakistan, Lady Health Workers reaches out to these communities.
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Today, Lady Health Workers is expanding its reach. They are working to provide services across the border, to Afghan women too. Afghanistan needs thousands of midwives to help women have healthy babies. Today, they only have hundreds. But through the work of groups like Save The Children UK and Lady Health Workers things are changing.
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Around the world many mothers do not have the care they need. Many do not know the facts about breastfeeding. Or, they do not have the resources to get the help they need. Like the women and babies of Afghanistan, these women need support.
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All people need to be educated about the importance of women’s health. That is because a healthy mother will mean a healthier, better family. Better families make stronger communities. And stronger communities make a better world.
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