Comments on: A Life Saver Called "Plumpynut"

Anderson Cooper Reports On A Nutritional Breakthrough

[borntohelp]

How can one donate to help these starving children have plumpynut? Give me a website to help. It was refreshing to hear a positive story about an awful situation. All should help alleviate world hunger.

[susanus57]

I watched this segment last night and realized that I spend $200 - $300 a week on groceries for my family. So why am I not donating to help these poor children. It breaks my heart to see them starving and dying. For $30 / month I can feed so many. Today I enrolled to donate to Niger. If other do the same we can help put a stop to so many unnecessary deaths.

[angie1218]

I''m glad to hear of this wonderful invention to help protect the world''s children from dieing of malnutrition. We need information on how we can donate so that we can all start saving the lives of these little precious ones. But we also have to allow Planned Parenthood to practice and educate in these areas of the world.

[perm3800]

Brith rates go DOWN as income and food security go UP. In countries where there is a great likelyhood that children will not survive to age five, it is important to have many children. When one has two children aged five or older, the need disappears. This can be seen around the world: as the local economy improves at the lowest levels, birth rates drop. So, solving malnutrition among the very young is in the whole world''s best interest.

[freq_band]

If you DO want to donate......

....the best and most efficient method is to seek out the affected area''s local assistance programs.
Food that is grown, processed, packaged, then shipped from the US....is the least efficient method. About 65% of all aid money is spent on shipping if sourced from the US.
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/62543/

Sending your money to local/regional groups also helps THEIR economy, not the packaging/shipping companies.

I don''t understand why anyone would see the logic in sending an agricultural based community......food?
Wouldn''t helping them with new farm equipment and additional agricultural training, make more sense ??

[howabb]

It is wonderful we are helping malnutrition.BUT. Where is the birth control. Where are the basic human instincts of taking care of your children or not having them at all. We have only perpetuated a problem that did not exist 2 generations ago to the extent of today. When do we address the future?

[neo267-2009]

If they don''t cut down on the birth rate, then their will just be more they can''t feed in the future.

I was a bit disappointed to hear that the 60 minutes piece did not mention that the maker of Plumpy''nut may have a patent on the formula and that patent licensing issues may also be a factor to availability of the formula:

http://globalhealthreport.blogspot.com/2007/10/what-do-patents-and-peanut-butter-have.html

Admittedly this information may have complicated the reporting of this story, but figured it would have been good to at least mention this as another factor in the supply.

[anniepie10]

I was very interested in the ''Plump Nut" story by Anderson Cooper. What a wonderful product to help the hungry. But wait... this product has existed since 1999! Why are we just hearing about this now...nine years later... How many kids could have been helped over the last nine year with this product???? If only I had known that Plumpy Nut existed I would have given $$$ for this product.... This information should have been repeated and repeated over and over again... There is no reason that kids should die of hunger.

[anniepie10]

I was very interested in the ''Plump Nut" story by Anderson Cooper. What a wonderful product to help the hungry. But wait... this product has existed since 1999! Why are we just hearing about this now...nine years later... How many kids could have been helped over the last nine year with this product???? If only I had known that Plumpy Nut existed I would have given $$$ for this product.... This information should have been repeated and repeated over and over again... There is no reason that kids should die of hunger.

[anniepie10]

I was very interested in the ''Plump Nut" story by Anderson Cooper. What a wonderful product to help the hungry. But wait... this product has existed since 1999! Why are we just hearing about this now...nine years later... How many kids could have been helped over the last nine year with this product???? If only I had known that Plumpy Nut existed I would have given $$$ for this product.... This information should have been repeated and repeated over and over again... There is no reason that kids should die of hunger.

[freq_band]

Feed them now. A self-sustaining solution will have to come later.

.....this thinking has wobbled on for quite some time without a "solution" ever coming.
-----------
"Assuming then, my postulata as granted, I say that the power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man."
- Thomas Malthus (1798)
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=FB=

[ftprint]

Has anyone figured out how to donate to the plumpynut project?

[bradley9851]

There will never will be a cure human sickeness and childhood malnutrition as long as there is crooked so called political leaders that will have a protocol of being thieves.

[piratehenry]

Starving populations worldwide. Cause--over population.
Dying salmon in the Northwest. Cause--over population.
Fundamental cause of a huge portion of 60 minutes stories--over population.
The ability of Anderson Cooper, Lesley Stahl, and most every reporter at 60 minutes to make the connection--Priceless and inconceivable. I think they''re all brain dead.

[happytohelp]

Anderson is cute! I love to see all of the words that are spelled wrong in the comments! Anderson should have stated how we can help and what other avenues are being pursued in order to help this last-on-the-list developing country, ie: birth control, education etc... but for now, feed the babies.

[hawaiitunya]

Great Broadcast. The comments in regards to teaching them about contraceptives, though I can understand the meaning behind them, that would be imposing our beliefs on to their culture and religion. As Americans, we resent when outsiders try to change our beliefs. This isn''t about contraceptives....afterall, how many unwed mothers do we have in our country. Its about children starving in a land where it is difficult to grow food. This is a simple solution that can help so many. However, my comment back to CBS and 60 Minutes. I am all for helping your neighbor. Is Plumpy Nut available to the families and children within our own country that are starving or are suffering from malnutrition?

I can''s believe that 50 minutes did not focus more on the fact that what these women need is contraceptives and education to stop the production of a population that can not be supported by them. Feeding these already depleted boedies to grow into children without future seems irresponcable. The doctors are barking up the wrong tree.I find it one sided reporting.

[hdmatin]

Great breakthrough in treating malnutrition---- but--- aren''t we just creating a larger problem if the underlying causes of malnutrition are ignored--- ie: birth control/ overpopulation/ sustainable agriculture???? How about the BIG picture--- I''d expect at least a nmention of this from a 60 minutes story

I seldom get upset about the one sided views of reports. Anderson Cooper did not broach the subject of the other side of the coin. Multiple birth. These children will grow up without a future. Providing birth control to this population would be far more beneficial than feeding the already depleted bodies of chidren without a future. If you tinker with one end, you must aolso tinker with the other or the outcome will not meet expectations.