Hunger and Shame: Child Malnutrition and Poverty on Mount Kilimanjaro

“…make[s] important contributions to the fields of international health and nutrition.” — MedicalAnthropology Quarterly
“An examination is presented of child malnutrition among a relatively wealthy populace, the Chagga of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Views of family members, health workers, and government officials provide insight into the complex of ideas, institutions, and human fallibility that sustain malnutrition. Discussing the moral and practical dilemmas posed by the presence of malnourished children in the community, and exploration is presented of the shame associated with child hunger in relation to social organization, colonial history, and the global economy. The work of NURU, the Nutrition Rehabilitation Unit, established among the Chagga in 1972 is discussed. A joint European/USA NGO, NURU provides an instructive example of the cultural complexities that must be confronted if nutrition rehabilitation is to succeed.” — M. Howard, Millard, A.V.

Mary Howard is Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Ohio Wesleyan University. She has extensive fieldwork experience on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Ann Millard is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Michigan State University.