A Vietnamese popular female footballer and an English professional counterpart recently took part in several activities to call for better nutrition for children who will be the future footballers of Vietnam.
Two popular footballers call for better nutrition for Vietnamese kids
As part of the effort, Vietnam’s female Golden Ball winner, Do Thi Ngoc Cham and English footballer, Stephen McMahon, visited the World Vision nutrition clubs in Hai Lang District in the central province of Quang Tri.
The two footballers participated in activities to educate mothers in rural communities on how to prepare food for their small children and provide better care. They also attended a food competition and joined in games with members of the clubs.
All of the activities were designed to raise community awareness on the importance of nutrition and how improved nutrition can benefit the next generation in developing countries such as Vietnam.
After joining in games and cooking demonstrations at the nutrition clubs, members in Hai Lang District, Stenphen MacMahon said: “Regarding nutrition, I have been very fortunate over the years because I was a professional athlete. But those who live in remote and mountainous areas haven’t got that kind of help. And thanks to these kind of nutrition clubs, you are getting an opportunity now to be better informed about nutrition and health… because health is the most important thing in life. Without your health you haven’t got anything. So it’s important that you try to eat healthily. This is especially important for children and future generations.”
Do Thi Ngoc Cham said: “As a professional footballer, I focus on a good diet. I hope children, who will be our future footballers, will be given the opportunity to have healthy lives."
In Vietnam, 17.5% of children under five years are underweight and 29.3% of children have stunted growth, according to the General Nutrition Survey conducted by the National Institute of Nutrition in 2010.
To address child malnutrition, World Vision launched these nutrition clubs as an integrated, community-based, sustainable approach to child health. They were started in 2007, and to date, have grown to 520 nutrition clubs nationwide, providing better nutrition for 17,000 children under the age of five.
