ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

Bullish leaders of India and China often exuberantly assert that the 21st Century belongs to them.  And, certainly in the past decade both nations have taken great strides to becoming economic giants.  But an article, "India's Malnutrition Dilemma," in the New York Times Magazine (October 2009) points out that the Indian boom has a significant Achilles Heel — widespread child malnutrition.  The article observes...

"... As China became an economic powerhouse it greatly reduced malnutrition.  In an all-fronts effort, China cut child malnutrition by two-thirds between 1990 and 2002.  Today only 7 percent of Chinese children under age 5 are underweight, whereas the figure for India is 43 percent.  Even in sub-Saharan Africa, which most people assume to have the direst poverty statistics, the average child malnutrition rate is 28 percent.

"The youthfulness that [Indian leaders] claim as the country's great competitive advantage could turn out to be the greatest stumbling block to Indian development and make it an also-ran to China.  The science is disturbingly clear:  if you are malnourished until age 3, your neural formation suffers, and most of that underdevelopment is fixed for life.

"... No one is quite sure why the nutrition situation in India is so dire.  The lack of women's empowerment in both rural and urban areas is thought to play a major role.  And so far, at least, the central government has been very slow to act."

Exchange is proud to make available Being with Babies: Understanding and Responding to the Infants in Your Care. It is a great resource for both beginning and experienced caregivers. Each chapter describes an issue that caregivers face daily, offers scenarios that illustrate the challenge, suggests solutions caregivers can use to address the issue, and concludes with a review of key points.  Being with Babies teaches caregivers how to handle everyday challenges while learning about developmental stages.  This hands-on resource is perfect for caregivers of children 6 weeks to 18 months old, as well as for staff development and resource libraries.  Chapters include information on: 

• Developing relationships with babies
• Using observation to understand babies
• Communicating with babies
• Selecting appropriate toys
• Setting up safe and effective learning environments for babies

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