400 GRAMS
The name 400grams comes from the weight of a healthy baby’s brain.

We made this film with hands on help by Professor Jeffrey Measelle who started this idea of supporting existing organisations in their effort to alleviate malnutrition and at the same time adding a better foundation for learning. Malnutriton is still effecting over 50% of children in some areas in Laos resulting in stunting and slow brain development. It has a negative impact on the next generation and the future of a country.

From Professor Jeffrey Measelle:

At a time when scientific advances could be used to strengthen early childhood policies and practices, knowledge is frequently dismissed or ignored and children are paying the price.
Healthy early development depends on nurturing and dependable relationships.
Culture influences all aspects of early development through child-rearing beliefs and practices.
Early childhood programs must balance the focus on cognition and literacy skills with comparable attention to the emotional and social development of all children, including those with special needs.
Major investments in professional development are essential to address unmet needs.
Public expenditures for early care and education must be invested in high quality programs that promote sustained relationships with qualified personnel.
Major investments must be made to enhance the skills and compensation of providers of early care and education.
Need to reconcile traditional early childhood program strategies with the increasing cultural diversity and the economic and social realities of current family life.
Moving beyond blaming parents, communities, business, or government.
Rethinking the balance between individual and shared responsibility for children.

A Question for the Future: How can society use knowledge about early childhood development to maximize the nation’s human capital and ensure the ongoing vitality of our democratic institutions?
A Question for the Present: How can a nation use knowledge to nurture, protect, and ensure the health and well-being of all young children as an important objective in its own right, regardless of whether measurable returns can be documented in the future?

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