MEENA AND
THE MAGIC MICRONUTRIENTS
Developed by:
Bhawana Thapaliya (WFP – Nepal)
Ilaria Schibba (WFP – Nepal)
Sanne Bakker (WFP – Nepal)
Project Supervisor:
Marco Cavalcante (WFP – Nepal)
Technical Consultation:
Katrien Ghoos (WFP – Regional Bureau for Asia)
Lindsey Horton (WFP – Regional Bureau for Asia)
Sanju Bhattarai (UNICEF – Nepal)
Pradiumna Dahal (UNICEF - Nepal)
Lakruwan Dassanayake (UNHCR - Nepal)
Nini Gurung (UNHCR - Nepal)
Salina Khatoon (UNHCR - Nepal)
Illustrations and Design:
The Image Creators P. Ltd.
Translations:
Bhawana Thapaliya (WFP – Nepal)
Pushpa Sunuwar (WFP – Nepal)
Project Management (WFP Nepal):
Ilaria Schibba
Kishor Aryal
Kishor Rai
Pramila Ghimire
Pushpa Sunuwar
Sanne Bakker
Subhash Singh
Bhawana Thapaliya
Jagdish Pant
Kamal Dhungana
Prabin Shrestha
Special Thanks to:
Shrid Dhungel
Anusara Singhkumarwong
Nicole Menage (WFP - Nepal)
Hanaa Singer (UNICEF - Nepal)
Craig Sanders (UNHCR - Nepal)
Meena is a little girl who lives in a village with her parents, her grandmother, her
brother Raju and her baby sister Rani. Mithu the parrot is her best friend. She is
friendly. She is not afraid to ask questions. She solves problems and shows you all
the things a little girl can do.
3
Today the teacher is talking about healthy diet. The teacher explains that it is very
important to vary the diet. Instead of eating the same foods every day, it is much
better to consume many different food items. It will make you grow and stay healthy.
Instead of eating an apple every day,
you should eat different types of fruits
and vegetables.
4
The teacher explains about micronutrients, the magical micronutrients. They are
very small and they live in the foods we eat. They especially like living in fruits,
vegetables, fish, meat, egg and Supercereal.
For example papaya, egg,
cauliflower and this radish contain
many of the magic nutrients!
5
The teacher shows the big poster with foods rich in micronutrients and asks the
children to color the images.
6
For pregnant women, young children, ill patients the magic micronutrients are very
important. They need them more than anyone else. If there are pregnant women,
young children, ill patients in your family, make sure that they eat the foods that
you see on the poster.
My neighbor Neeti didi
has a little child. I will
pass on the message.
7
Meena shows the poster with foods rich in micronutrients to Neeti didi. She is
worried that the food she provides to her seven months old child does not contain
enough micronutrients.
My teacher told us that
micronutrients are especially
important for pregnant
women and young children.
8
Neeti didi realizes her child is less active and falls sick more often than other children.
Could it be due to a lack of micronutrients?
Let’s go to the nearest health
center and seek the health
workers’ advice. Let’s see
what they will suggest.
9
The health worker confirms that it is important to eat foods rich in micronutrients.
And, that indeed, a child may become less active and fall sick more often when the
micronutrient requirements are not met.
It is very important to eat
foods rich in micronutrients.
10
For the extra micronutrient requirements of young children, WFP is providing
micronutrient powders (MNP). If we add MNP to food it will be more nutritious. MNP
are distributed by the health centers for children aged between 6 and 59 months.
They should be consumed every alternate day.
These are the
micronutrients!
11
You can add us to your food, and once
in your body we will do everything we
can do to make you feel active and to
fight sickness agents.
Namaste! We are the
micronutrients (MNP)!
12
WFP also distributes Supercereal which contains micronutrients for the human
body. So never waste Supercereal and eat it all!
Supercereal is provided to every
family member. It is also provided to
undernourished children, pregnant
and lactating women together with
fortified vegetable oil.
13
Neeti didi shares informations with other mothers. Their children have better appetite,
energy level, and health when they add MNP sprinkles to the children's food.
Sometimes the color of the food changes after
mixing it, but the MNP sprinkles are safe for
the child. And they are also tasteless.
Let’s go home and prepare food.
14
MNP sprinkles should be added only to the food for all children aged between 6 and 59 months.
It should not be shared with other family members.
I am for all children aged
between 6 and 59 months.
15
Neeti didi is always responsive to Buddi’s clues for hunger and also encourages
him to eat and she never forgets to add MNP sprinkles to his food every alternate
day. MNP should be added to semi–solid food which is ready for consumption.
Looking at Buddi having food,
I am also feeling hungry.
Wait for a while Meena!
After feeding Buddi, I will
prepare nutritious haluwa with
Supercereal for us.
16
Meena can do this calculation: 15 sachets for 30 days that means 1 sachet every
other day.
I receive 15 MNP sachets
per month.
17
Supercereal can be cooked in various ways and can be eaten as haluwa, satu, roti,
and can be even made into yummy ladoos. Neeti didi prepares Supercereal haluwa
for Meena.
What are Supercereal’s ingredients?
Supercereal is made of wheat, soya
and is fortified with micronutrients.
18
Magic micronutrients are our best friends; healthy foods and Supercereal give us
micronutrients. We should never forget about the micronutrients sprinkles for our
little ones!
19