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Proper nutrition is essential to keep children healthy, so they can concentrate on their studies and enjoy their lives. Many students at USMS come to school not having had any breakfast. Some may not have eaten the night before either. Because of this malnutrition, many of the students have suffered from anemia.
USMS provides a nutritious midday meal, including fruit for essential vitamins, iron supplement tablets to help prevent anemia, and protein-rich sprouted beans to help with absorption of the iron. The anemia rate is now extremely low for the students in our school.
"The average malnutrition rate in some Indian states, such as heavily populated Uttar Pradesh (where USMS is located) is 40%, which is higher than Sub-Saharan Africa, where it is around 30%, UNICEF says" (reported by Indian Reporter and World News, 2007).
Nutritious Moringa leaves from trees in the neighborhood are collected, dried and added to the mid-day meal. These leaves provide:
- 2 times the protein of yogurt
- 7 times the protein of oranges
- 3 times the potassium of bananas
- 4 times the vitamin A of carrots
- 4 times the calcium of milk
Moringa is native to India, and provides an incredible source of nutrition!
