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The cure lies in breast milk

"What if nutritionists came up with a miracle cure for childhood malnutrition? A protein-rich substance that doesn’t require refrigeration? One that is free and is available even in remote towns like this one in Niger where babies routinely die of hunger-related causes?

Impossible, you say? Actually, this miracle cure already exists. It’s breast milk.

When we think of global poverty, we sometimes assume that the challenges are so vast that any solutions must be extraordinarily complex and expensive. Well, some are. But almost nothing would do as much to fight starvation around the world as the ultimate low-tech solution: exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months of life. That’s the strong recommendation of the World Health Organization.

The paradox is that while this seems so cheap and obvious — virtually instinctive — it’s also rare."

So begins a piece by op-ed writer Nicholas D Kristof for The New York Times as he swings through Africa on what might almost be called his annual pilgrimage to that continent.

Reading the piece makes one wonder, not for the first time, why the world and agencies like the UN aren't at the forefront in working in areas of aid and material assistance to the poor of Africa as Kristof describes.

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