Girl eating a banana as part of her lunch in a child nutrition centre. - - Protein Food Devpt. Project. In the north and northeast of Thailand, protein malnutrition is both a cause of impaired physical and mental growth in young children, and a limit to adult productivity. The most vulnerable group is the one to four-year olds, who usually derive 84% of their calories from highly polished rice, with resulting protein-calorie malnutrition, vitamin A and B deficiencies and nutritional anaemia. In order to attack this major health problem, a 3-year Protein Food Development Project was initiated in July 1968 by the Government, with USAID assistance, and with the Department of Health as executing agency. The purpose of this project is to improve human nutrition in rural areas and to develop inexpensive high-protein food supplements for pre-school children from local foods. A group of pilot child nutrition centres in 25 villages selected about 100 pre-school children in each village for testing these foods. As a contribution to FAO's Freedom from Hunger Campaign, Christian Aid (U.K.) will provide mobile nutrition education vans to reinforce the nutrition programme in various areas of the country.