Response to "Child Development in Developing Countries"

It's hard to imagine the amount of need there is in the world, even with all the numbers and statistics the articles we read provided it's hard for me to really wrap my head around just exacty what the all the numbers mean. It is easy to see though that while progress has been made towards meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals, there is still a lot to be done. The authors noted on more than one occasion the lack of available information on the subject matter-- given this, the amount of information they provided and the detail in which they provided was impressive. The articles really gave me a better idea of what is going on world wide with children's health. I found the authors' discussion of characteristics that made programs successful (p. 234) and suggestions as to what research still needed to be done (p. 239) particularly interesting and useful. I am hoping these lists will help me be able to more effectively assess programs I encounter once in Ghana. Given the the severity of cognitive, social and motor impairments that results from stunting, it's strange to think of the difference interventions as simple as providing iodized salt or introducing more stimulation in home environments could make in a child's development.