Age Appropriate Complementary Feeding:Aga Khan Foundation
Channel: Jholawala Films
Date: 23/03/2015

Production; Jholawala Films 
Produced for: Aga Khan Foundation
Complementary feeding: Among the 6-24 month age group, less than one in every 4
children receive an adequate diet. Only 13 percent of children were started on solid or
semi-solid complementary food at the correct age of 6 months. Most children are slowly
starved because families are unaware about the needs of rapidly growing children in this
age group. When food is given, it is not appropriate for the child’s needs.
“From the 8th month I started giving my child roti, rice and biscuit.” An analysis of the
types of food fed to children reveals that only 30 percent were fed at least three types of
food as recommended. The qualitative study shows that women and family members did
not proactively feed a measured quantity of food to their children; instead, children were
fed a few spoonfuls while family members were eating or were given a piece of roti or
biscuit to hold and left to eat by themselves. Population Council formative research
study, 2009.
Thus, information about the benefits of breastfeeding, the duration, the importance of
complementary foods, the post-natal care of the infant and woman’s health are critical.
The film will be in three parts, one will talk about the technical aspects, i.e. duration of
the breastfeeding, and the second will be about the different complementary foods and
nutritional care, third will be about the benefits of breastfeeding for the infant.