Many Poor Children in Ecuador Suffer from Malnutrition

Many Poor Children in Ecuador Suffer from Malnutrition¹

Erwin Ronquillo, an official with the government program Ecuador Grows Without Malnutrition, is worried about hunger in his country.

Ronquillo said child malnutrition is chronic² among Ecuador's population. It is seen everywhere, but hits hardest in rural areas and among the country's Native peoples, he said.

The United Nations children's agency UNICEF keeps information related to children and their development for countries around the world. UNICEF information suggests that one in three Ecuadorian children suffers from malnutrition. Of those, about 41 percent are Native.

Neiri Espinosa is a mother whose partner left her. She lives in a neighborhood of the capital city, Quito, called Pisulí. She said her children, who are eight and four years old, do not usually eat meat. Both children appear to be younger because of their height and the thinness of the youngest girl.

Sometimes the family buys chicken, but not often, Espinosa said.

"It is difficult to get any job (as a domestic worker), worse after the pandemic," she said.

Monica Cabrera is with the Ministry³ of Economic and Social Inclusion. She works in the Camal Metropolitano neighborhood on the southern edge of Quito. It is a high-risk area. Cabrera has been robbed several times there.

She visits the homes of at least 25 young mothers. Two of the mothers are minors⁴: 15 and 17 years old. Her job is to support the group of mothers while they are pregnant until their children reach one year of age.

Cabrera said the poorest people in the city are usually Native migrants from rural areas. They try to earn a living by selling waste materials, making building materials, or selling products on the streets.

"Those who have more have the luxury of eating twice a day," Cabrera said. She said she knows of families that eat only once a day and sometimes not even that.

UNICEF's numbers suggest that 50 percent of Ecuadorian households with children had difficulty getting the necessary food in 2021 because of the pandemic. As a result, 27 percent of children had their development affected⁵ because of chronic malnutrition, the agency said.

In addition, 72 percent of children lacked basic services for development, such as health and education, UNICEF said.

Ecuador's government is led by President Guillermo Lasso, a former banker. The government has pledged to fight chronic malnutrition. It has promised to spend $350 million a year to improve health, family, education, and support services.

Tania Herrara lives with her parents and has a baby, Sara Milena. Herrara receives a $50 monthly stipend⁶ from the government to support the baby. To receive that money, she promised to join all child support activities that she is asked to attend.

Her parents currently support the family. They earn between $5 and $7 a day. That amount must feed five adults. It also must serve to support the new arrival. The adults hope to eat something twice a day.

The family has lived in Quito for several years. They can only pay for chicken meat from time to time. The baby is breastfed.

Words in This Story

malnutrition – n. the unhealthy condition that results from not eating enough food or not eating enough healthy food

chronic – adj. continuing or occurring again and again for a long time

domestic – adj. relating to the work (such as cooking and cleaning) that is done in a person's home

luxury – n. something that is helpful or welcome and that is not usually or always available

pledge – v. to formally promise to give or do (something)

stipend – n. a usually small amount of money that is paid regularly to someone

1 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

2 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 stipend   

n.薪贴；奖学金；养老金

参考例句：

• The company is going to ajust my stipend from this month onwards.从这一个月开始公司将对我的薪金作调整。
• This sum was nearly a third of his total stipend.这笔钱几乎是他全部津贴的三分之一。