Cookery classes in Cambodia’s hospitals tackle malnutrition
Cambodia has some of the worse maternal and infant mortality rates in South East Asia. In rural areas many people don’t know about eating healthily, so malnutrition is rife. As part of VSO Cambodia’s maternal and child health programme, volunteer nurses are coordinating cookery demonstrations that teach mothers how to make simple, nutritious meals that will help their children to thrive.
Thirty-eight year old Sao Chenda is from a remote village in the eastern district of Kratie in Cambodia. Of the seven children she has given birth to, just four are still alive. Today she is in the paediatric ward of Kratie Hospital with her husband and her ten-year-old son Rithy, who is malnourished.
The temperature outside is in the mid to late thirties, and Rithy lies on a wooden bed while his father fans him with a piece of cloth in an attempt to keep him cool. While in the paediatric ward with Rithy, Sao Chenda has had the opportunity to attend a cookery class. These classes are held weekly and are led by hospital staff, overseen by VSO nurse Emily Holtmaat.
“Today I had my first ever cooking class. They showed me how to prepare a healthy meal for my children using meat and vegetables,” says Sao Chenda. “I didn’t know about the advantages of using vegetables in food for my children. But they explained the benefits and showed me how to cook Bor Bor using ingredients available in my village.”
Food nutrition lessons for mothers
Bor Bor is a thick rice porridge made with tofu or pork and a range of vegetables that are easily and cheaply available around Kratie. “The staff member running the class asks one of the mums to help with chopping and preparing the ingredients, and while the Bor Bor is cooking the mothers are given a basic lesson in nutrition,” says Emily. “The staff explain the value of the three major food groups and how to use different ingredients in cooking.”
These 90-minute classes can make a crucial difference to mothers like Sao Chenda. “The majority of mothers haven’t heard before about the importance of vegetables in a child’s diet,” says Emily. “In the west, we get nutrition education at primary school, on TV, from our parents and even from the press. Here in Cambodia those systems of transferring knowledge just don’t exist in the same way. So a mother won’t know that greens give iron and that carrots contain vitamin A that is good for eyes.”
But Sao Chenda has now been equipped with that knowledge. To compliment the cookery demonstration, she has been given a guide explaining how to make Bor Bor. “I am happy to have this written down. I can read but I have a bad memory, so this leaflet will help me in the future in case I forget the lesson.”
Continuing the work
Many more mothers like Sao Chenda will benefit from these classes because they will continue long after Emily has returned home to the Netherlands. Though initially she bought the ingredients and led the classes, total responsibility for the programme now lies with the paediatric staff. They are responsible for reporting activities to the UNICEF, the programme’s funder, and as a result they are highly motivated and have a strong sense of ownership of the classes.
“One of the things I’m most proud of about my time here is the fact that the paediatric staff have taken over the nutrition programme,” says Emily. “They can do it themselves, and it’s really sustainable. They see the advantage of it, and they realise that the mothers like it and are keen to learn.”
Back in the paediatric ward, Rithy will soon be discharged. His mother has gained the knowledge and skills to cook a healthy meal for him, so it’s unlikely he’ll be back in Kratie Hospital in the near future.
