Anna Mackay and Elizabeth Davenport have a conversation with Bilal Durrani, the head of UNICEF Timor-Leste, about what maternal and childhood malnutrition looks like in developing countries like Timor-Leste, and what UNICEF is doing to help improve the health of the population. Malnutrition affects millions globally; just under half the children in Timor-Leste suffer from some form of malnutrition, such as stunting or wasting, which has lifelong effects on physical growth, brain development, and the ability to learn and fully develop cognitive functioning (UNICEF, 2021).
We discuss:
- Factors affecting the current state of population health in a country like Timor-Leste.
- What it looks like when communities lack access to resources and support, or are impacted by natural disasters.
- The keys to changing behaviors at scale and how approaches to dealing with childhood malnutrition have changed in recent decades.
- Working toward positive outcomes in complex structural issues such as government spending and policy change
- Unethical corporate behavior that affects the health of infants such as Nestle’s misleading nutritional claims about its baby milk formulas.
Links:
- UNICEF’s Nutrition Information Webpage
- Lutz, Alexander & Associates Nutrition Therapy
- Pinney Davenport Nutrition
Bilal Durrani is responsible for providing leadership and vision to the UNICEF country programme team to implement the Government of Timor Leste – UNICEF Country Programme of Cooperation for the realization of the rights of children. Bilal is a national of Pakistan, and lives in Dili with his wife and two children.
Grateful to have someone with such enthusiasm and vision leading UNICEF here in Timor-Leste. There is a lot of work to be done, but it is reassuring to see that things are already improving. Bilal has a genuine interest for the people and nuances of his local context. Thank you for your efforts thus far.
Thank you for your comment. We were so grateful to talk with Bilal Durrani and learn about Timor-Leste and the work that is being done there.