Terry Talks: Solving the Puzzle of Childhood Stunting (Discussion Guide)

The series "Solving the Puzzle of Childhood Stunting" is part of Terry Talks, a curriculum of ongoing video presentations and supporting materials led by Terry Laura (Health Technical Advisor at Compassion International). The resources are aimed at equipping and encouraging health and child advocates to learn, build on, and put into practice their expertise in health, especially as it relates to children in poverty. Poor sanitation and hygiene leads to environmental enteropathy (EE), an inflammatory condition of the small intestine, which leads to decreased nutrient absorption and poor appetite. Childhood stunting can have devastating long-term effects, such as: reduced physical and mental development, poor school performance, poor health, and reduced income and productivity as adults. Of the world's children under age five, 24% (165 million) are stunted, however over 80% of child deaths caused by diarrhea are preventable through Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene -or WASH- related interventions. This supplemental guide is packed with more valuable information on solving the puzzle of childhood stunting, as well as discussion questions that you can work through with your team to help define how you can take action to positively impact the lives of the children in your community.