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Why focus on women and aquaculture in India?

 

Vakkom Villagers

Vakkom Villagers

 14 million+ children suffer from severe acute malnutrition
[Global Nutrition Report 2016 – http://globalnutritionreport.org/the-report/]
60 million+ children in India are anaemic
[Global Nutrition Report 2016 – http://globalnutritionreport.org/the-report/]
58 percent of children in India don’t complete primary school
[RTE Forum India – http://www.rteforumindia.org/content/how-children-poonch-struggle-attain-their-fundamental-right-education]

Everyone needs to have a chance in life. Where you are born or your gender should not exclude you from the opportunity to have that chance.

Women are the major key to a better life. Children from conception until their 2nd birthday rely on their mother for nutrition. If women are unaware of this or unable to obtain the correct nutrition then their child is starting life without that chance. Prenatal protein nutrition is essential to develop the fetus, particularly the brain, and needed for both mothers and children after birth to sustain normal development of the child and health for the mother also.

Fish and seafood are important ingredients in this nutrition. There is much evidence of the benefits of seafood’s essential fatty acids, nutrients, vitamins and protein in human development. http://www.foodinsight.org/Fish_and_Your_Health

Through our Aquaculture Learning Centre arrangements Aquaculture without Frontiers’ volunteers will collaborate with local communities to build capability and capacity in sustainable aquaculture, basic business and income improvement, and nutrition. This will not only be a catalyst to change but it will create job opportunities and develop networks both locally and internationally that will facilitate the achievement of long-term goals and make a better life for families.

Initially we will concentrate on Kerala, a State with much poverty, particularly for women. This state has been one of the least active in aquaculture; it provides great potential for improvement. Small aquaculture ventures can give the chance to women to have family-friendly jobs, more income, better food and a better future for families.