What is Bor Bor?

You may not recognize this word, but for a young Cambodian woman trying to feed her baby it is a very important technique. BorBor is a simple Cambodian term which means “rice soup” or “porridge”. It’s a process which consists of adding more water to the rice when cooking it so that it is a thin consistency so that the texture is such that babies can eat it.

It is not uncommon for many babies and children in Cambodia to become stunted in their growth due to micronutrient deficiencies. Once the mother stops breast feeding, foods high in calcium along with vegetables high in vitamins are frequently absent from the diet due to poverty and a lack of education. Malnutrition remains a serious problem for Cambodian children specifically Vitamin A and iron deficiencies.

This month, Mother’s Heart, held an afternoon workshop for all our mother’s in the program on how to add more nutrients to the BorBor which makes it more healthier for the baby than just rice alone.

Mother’s Heart staff taught the women how to chop up cooked vegetables like carrots and green leafy vegetables which adds vitamins like Vitamin A, B, and K and iron.

We also taught them how to chop up and cook chicken to add protein to the BorBor. Once the chopped and minced ingredients are added to the rice porridge, it then becomes a nutritionally dense baby food!