Contributed by Molly
CAIRO, 5 November 2009 (IRIN) - Despite a number of positive economic
indicators, Egypt has a hunger problem: Nearly a third of all children
are malnourished, according to a new report compiled by the Ministry
of Health and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
The Egyptian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) 2008,
[http://www.measuredhs.com/
March 2009, recorded a 6 percent increase in undernourishment severe
enough to stunt growth in children under five, pushing the percentage
of stunted Egyptian toddlers to 29 percent from 23 percent in 2000.
The survey collected data in 2007/2008, when gross domestic product
(GDP) grew by 7.2 percent, indicating that strong economic growth had
not benefited ordinary Egyptians. A slower GDP growth of 4.7 percent
is forecast for 2008/2009.
"Within the recent context of economic crises and economic slowdown,
in addition to the growing epidemics of avian and H1N1 influenza,
nutrition is not treated as a priority," said Hala Abu Khatwa, head of
communications in Egypt for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Government-run food programmes are in place: In partnership with the
World Food Programme (WFP), fortified date bars have been distributed
in high-risk schools since 1963; and government-subsidized flour and
cooking oil - used to make 'baladi' bread - are fortified with
iron/folic acid and Vitamins A and D.
Chicken cull
Yet some government policies have adversely affected the nutrition of
the poorest.
UNICEF and WFP said the EDHS report of a spike in malnourished
children was partly attributable to the government's decision to cull
millions of chickens in 2007.
"The culling had a significant and substantial impact on household
consumption of poultry and eggs, especially [on] young children, and
also put considerable strain on household resources since poultry
sales accounted for nearly half of the incomes of many Egyptian
households," said UNICEF's Abu-Khatwa citing a 2007 study by the Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) entitled Livelihood Impact
Assessment in Egypt.
[http://www.fao.org/docs/eims/
Gianpietro Bordignon, the director of WFP in Egypt, attributed growing
malnutrition among children to "the successive series of shocks that
affected people, especially the poorest. This started with the
outbreak of avian flu and the subsequent killing of poultry that
lowered the intake of protein, and then the financial and food crises
that followed."
No data has yet been collected on the nutritional status of the
estimated 70,000 unofficial garbage collectors and pig farmers in the
Cairo area [http://www.irinnews.org/
relied on pigs for meat, income and organic waste.
Economic reforms
Since 1991 Egypt has embarked on economic reform programmes which have
not necessarily helped the poorest in society.
A July report by Egypt's General Authority for Investment and Free
Zones, seen by IRIN and entitled Towards Fair Distribution of the
Fruits of Growth, found that 66 percent of the wealth generated in
Egypt is sector specific, benefiting only those directly employed by
the sector rather than the economy as a whole.
"Between 2005 and 2008, the risk of extreme poverty increased by
almost 20 percent. Poverty levels are highest in Upper [southern]
Egypt where 70 percent of the country's poor live," Abu Khatwa said.
Upper Egypt is home to about 17 percent of the country's 82 million
people.
WFP's Bordignon also pointed out that since Egypt is not a "least
developed country", it misses out on international food aid.
According to the 2009 UNDP Human Development Report,
[http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/
23 percent of the population are below the poverty line. Food riots
[http://www.irinnews.org/
symptomatic of widespread poverty.
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