NUTRITION

Madagascar has one of the highest rates of chronic childhood malnutrition in the world, with more than half of all children affected according to the Global Nutrition Report. Stunting results from chronic or recurrent undernutrition (because of insufficient or poor diet) in the first 1,000 days from conception to a child’s second birthday. Children suffering from stunting may never reach their full potential in body size, height and development milestones, and lifelong health can be affected.

Our partner in Madagascar asked us to deliver messaging emphasising the benefits of breastfeeding and a fresh, colourful diet, while also highlighting the link between diarrhoea and malnutrition.

In response, we gave them singing lemurs, musical vegetables and a latrine refrain in our Eat a Rainbow musical film.

  • Madagascar: Children watch our musical at a community screening.

  • Children’s fruit and vegetable stick puppets. Wonder what are their stories are?

  • Rohingya in Bangladesh. ‘Baby’ puppets light up early childhood discussions.

  • Household garden model, Madagascar.

  • When a mother eats a rainbow, so does her breast-feeding baby.

  • The film combines nutrition and WASH messages.

EAT A RAINBOW: CLIP
A Nutritional Musical Extravaganza

Key Messages

  • The song's lyrics link colourful foods with growing up strong, and focus on mothers, babies and young children.

  • Monitor what your child eats. Ensuring a variety of colourful food will help them grow up big, strong and healthy.

  • Children must eat a variety of foods from six months onwards, with plenty of colourful fruit and vegetables, and protein.

  • Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers should eat a healthy, balanced diet, full of colourful foods.

  • Breast feed babies exclusively for six months, eating a good diet yourself. Continue to breastfeed for two full years.

  • Use a latrine instead of defecating in the open. Wash your hands with soap and water, or ash, at key moments.

Star of the Show

If you had to pick one creature that represents Madagascar, what would it be? The ring-tailed lemur if you’re anything like us - and pretty much everyone else. The ring-tail also features in our Environment film, The Farmer’s Tale, (nutrition and sustainable land management are of course closely linked) and is one of 107 lemur species that live in Madagascar – the majority of which are at risk of extinction in the wild due to habitat loss. This brave and emblematic creature fronts a band of lemur musicians in our Eat A Rainbow film. Its song was re-recorded in the capital Antananarivo by one of Madagascar’s leading singer-songwriters, Samoela (click to hear more from him here).