Half Nepal's Children Under Five Stunted by Hunger: Report

Half of Nepalese children under the age of five years old suffer from stunted growth as a result of a chronic lack of food, the government and the United Nations said in a report released yesterday.  

A decade of political unrest and a civil war also left more than a third of Nepal's 12.6 million children living under the poverty line, the study found.

"Malnutrition is a real obstacle to the survival, growth and development of children," said Gillian Mellsop, Nepal representative for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

"The serious effects of under-nutrition at a young age can be irreversible, and can ultimately hinder the development status of the whole nation."

"Every second child aged under five in Nepal is stunted or has a low height for their age -- a result of chronic under-nutrition."

Nepal is one of the world's poorest countries, with high rates of unemployment.  The average income is just 472 dollars annually.  

A 10-year armed conflict between Maoist rebels and state security forces that ended in 2006 hampered development.  Optimism following the war faded as various governments failed to provide basic services such as electricity and clean water. 

The country is currently stuck in a political deadlock with the parliament failing to elect a prime minster in 15 votes stretching over four months.

Nepal has made some progress over the past decade. Reducing maternal mortality and improved education are some but deep inequalities persist.

"Children from marginalised groups and poor families are under-nourished, and disparities between rich and poor have widened," said the report.