The Together We Help (HIAM) Health organization said that a nutritious diet in the 1000 days from when a baby is conceived until they reach two years of age was the door to a better future for children.
It is therefore important for women to understand what they need to do and consume during that crucial period.
Director Rosaria Martins da Cruz, said many Timorese children between the ages of 0-5 years suffer from malnutrition because their mothers were careless with what they consumed during pregnancy.
She said that women should eat nutritious food and address any health problems to ensure their baby is healthy, both physically and mentally.
“Mothers should know that our children’s future begins within 1000 days [of conception],” she said at her office in Aimutin, Dili.
She also called for mothers to feed their babies with local food rather than formula or processed food as this was potentially harmful to their health.
Children who were not appropriately cared for by their mothers during pregnancy and after birth would be underweight and suffer from malnutrition and poor immunity, said da Cruz.
Although the Health Ministry had recognized the importance of the 1000-day window in its policy, da Cruz said it had not organized a campaign to educate communities and raise awareness about the issue.
Bairo-Pite Clinic’s Doctor in Charge Dan Murphy said more than 10 children were hospitalized in the clinic each day as a result of severe malnutrition.
“I see many mothers who do not breastfeed exclusively and the children are fed porridge without vegetables. These children will lose weight and probably die,” he said.
While malnutrition could be treated, he said the condition often caused long-lasting effects and developmental delays.
He also called on journalists to raise awareness to the community by publishing the articles on the subject of good nutrition for children.
