50% children malnourished in Eastern Province – Survey report

Nearly half of the children below five years of age are suffering from malnutrition in the three districts in the Eastern province in Sri Lanka, according to a survey.
The World Food Organization (WFO), UNICEF, and Health Services Agency of the United Nations conducted the survey that showed 53% in Batticaloa, 45% in Trincomalee, and 44% in Ampaarai have been found suffering from malnutrition, NGO sources in the province said.　
Parents of the children said that the programme under which UNICEF supplied milk to school children in the Batticaloa district to overcome malnutrition has been stopped from January this year.　
Children in upcountry areas are also suffering from malnutrition as their poor parents cannot feed them nutritious food due to lack of money.