One-third of the children in Myanmar are malnourished
According to a recent study done by the United Nations, 1 in 3 children in Burma was found to be malnourished.
Imagine this. Pick 3 children in random in Burma and make them stand next to each other and 1 of them would be malnourished. I know this is bound to happen in poor parts of the U.S or other poor cities, but the thing is, everyone, please look at the photos of the governments of the third world countries, including Burma. These people are fat. I mean, jesus, fucking share!
On a second note, since I've stopped being a tomboy at the age of 13 and started looking myself in the mirror, I've had eating disorders. I still can't look at myself in the mirror and think I look ok. Because I grew up with my family telling me I was fat. After reading the recent study on Burmese kids being malnourished, I also realized that I didn't grow up in Burma after I was 10. I grew up in SIngapore, the land of consumption with a weird fetish on image (much like the U.S, Ha!). I also took comfort in food after not fitting in in Singapore and thus - my size. and the result in my Burmese family thinking me to be fat.
I think if I were to go home today, which I am doing in a matter of weeks, and returning to Burma in a matter of months, in fact. I will still be considered fat. But I just realised that - this means 1 thing - I'm not malnourished.
But in my head, even though I'm a size 4, I'm fat. - in the weird culture that is Hollywood, and image driven and the weird capitalistic and image driven world that is Singapore - that skinny is in and since I was 13, I've been trying to be skinny like the Burmese girls, skinny like the Singapore girls, then skinny like the Hollywood girls - and hating myself because I'll never be those girls because I'm born to please and I can't please - it's vicious - it makes me sick.
And then there are kids who are malnourished in Burma, who will never understand.
I'm going off on a tangent.
But the point of the blog is - Kids in Burma are malnourished. The Burmese government needs to feed them. I'm so cynical, I started to laugh as I type this because, that's like asking Satan to stop being mean.
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Aug. 5 (UPI) -- One-third of the children in Myanmar are malnourished and the government must do more to help its hungry millions, says a senior U.N. official.
James Morris, executive director of the World Food Program in Bangkok Friday urged the government to reform policies that impede humanitarian efforts, such as food distribution to combat growing hunger and poverty. The international community also needs to give more support, he said.
"Myanmar's severe and wide-ranging hunger issues cannot be solved without fundamental changes that promote the socioeconomic well-being of the population, which is the preserve of the government," said Morris, who recently returned from a four-day mission to Myanmar.
"The humanitarian issues are serious and getting worse. I made very clear that the primary responsibility for making things better rests squarely with the government," he said.
The U.N. agency helps feed Myanmar's most poverty-stricken citizens, including HIV/AIDS sufferers and former poppy growers.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20050623-09183900-bc-britain-myanmarkillings.xml
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