By MIRRIAM MUBIANA
ZAMBIA aspires to become a prosperous middle-income nation by 2030. This means the country envisions providing opportunities for improving the well-being of all, embodying values of social and economic justice. This vision can only be realized if people are given the opportunity to live to their full potential.
Currently, the country’s main nutrition problems include; inadequate intakes of energy and protein, iron deficiency anemia, vitamin A deficiency, and iodine deficiency disorders. In order to reduce stunting levels in vulnerable households’ diversification of diets is key.
To address these problems, the Zambian Government through the National Food and Nutrition Commission is implementing the First 1,000 Most Critical Days Programme (MCDPII) aimed at improving the nutritional health status and preventing stunting during the first 1,000 days of human life.
The 1,000 days under the program begin at the inception of the pregnancy, which makes 270 days of pregnancy as well as from day one of being born up to 2 years of age which is translated as a baby has 365 days in the first year, and another 365 days in the second year, which adds to the 1,000 days when included with the days in the womb.
Mongu district in the Western province is among the 100 districts in Zambia where the programme is being implemented based on five strategic objectives, which are to: improve policy, Coordination, financing, and partnerships, Improve the coverage and Quality of Priority Nutrition Interventions for stunting Reduction, Strengthen Capacity of Institutions, Systems and Management interventions, Improve Advocacy for stunting reduction and improve monitoring, evaluation, research, learning and adaptive Management.
Mongu district is one of the beneficiaries of the UNICEF support for the implementation of the Scaling–up Nutrition (SUNII/MCDP II) Programme in 17 districts. The programme is being executed through a multisectoral approach with government key line ministries, with the aim of reducing stunting among pregnant women, Lactating mothers, and Children under 2 years of age.
The programme comprises of five key ministries in Mongu district, which include: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Ministry of Community Development and Social Services and Ministry of Water and Sanitation/WASH. These ministries are critical partners in the implementation of the SUN II programme.
The Ministry of Agriculture in Mongu District being one of the five key ministries in the programme of Scaling –UP Nutrition is on course carrying out cooking demonstrations in all the 17 wards where the SUN II program is being implemented.
Acting Mongu District Agricultural Nutrition Officer Yvonne Chanda is spearheading the ongoing cooking demos and value addition aimed at helping the beneficiaries of the program to gain innovative ways of preserving food crops know how to prepare locally available foods well as adding value to the processed food in order to reduce on the stunting levels in the district.
These cooking demonstrations and value addition are being promoted to achieve good nutrition, as it is a major determinant of educational performance in children. For example, Iodine is essential for the development of the brain during fetal life pregnant women, living in iodine–deficient areas are likely to give birth to mentally retarded children.
Lealui lower is one of the 17 wards in Mongu District in the plans of the Western province where Scaling –UP Nutrition SUN II program is being implemented. It is impressive that the cooking demonstrations has advanced in the 17 wards Lealui Lower ward where all the main targets were on the site such as pregnant women, lactating mothers, women of childbearing age who were either pregnant and with children below the age of 2 years and a few men who are also lead farmers.
The cooking program demonstration takes place at Lealui Primary School where they have a site for SUN II programs. The programs conducted at this site show tremendous impact, as most of the beneficiaries have improved demand and uptake of key nutrition and health services, with notable changes in knowledge and attitudes towards health and nutrition.
The beneficiaries in the various implementing wards have been reached with various interventions from the implementing ministries.
Sharon Akufuna, a lead farmer in Lealui Lower ward narrates how she has benefited from the SUN II project.
“I am humbled for the help rendered to Lealui lower ward in Mongu District, at first we never knew that the locally available foods can be fed to our children. But through the Scaling UP Nutrition Program it has brought tremendous change in terms of feeding our children under 2 years as well as pregnant women and lactating mothers, the stunting levels have been reduced and in my household no more stunting is now the theme of the past,” Ms Akufuna revealed.
She also said her followers who are the beneficiaries of the program are practicing what they have learnt.
“We are here at the site where we normally have programs for SUN and today we are having cooking demos in various locally available foods. We are being taught how we can preserve our vegetables as well as how we can add value to our foods like all green local vegetables, green orange maize, cassava mealie meal, eggs, groundnuts, cowpeas, fruits, as well as green garden vegetables,” Ms Akufuna says.
Kalamatila Tayelo is a Chairperson in Lealui Lower ward in the program of Scaling-UP Nutrition in Mongu District explains; “the beneficiaries in this program have welcomed the initiative wholeheartedly as it has improved the stunting levels in Lealui lower and the whole Mongu District; as you can see from the cooking demonstration the beneficiaries have turned up in large numbers which signify the importance of this program.”
Scaling –UP Nutrition SUN II is a program that has helped to reduce the level of stunting in Mongu District through giving out lessons on good nutrition, giving out cooking demos, giving out seeds such as orange maize, ground nuts, orange sweetie potato veins, making of keyhole gardens, giving them chickens of which the intention is a pass on programme construction of fish pods. It is hoped these interventions will continue to yield positive results. –NAIS
The beneficiaries in Mongu district caring out cooking demos under SUN II program in Lealui lower.
Pictures by Mirriam Mubiana
Cooking demos using locally available foods and these fritters are made from cassava mealie meal.
MONGU DISTRICT ROLLS OUT VALUE ADDITION COOKING DEMONSTRATION TO SCALE–UP NUTRITION (SUN II)
By MIRRIAM MUBIANA
ZAMBIA aspires to become a prosperous middle-income nation by 2030. This means the country envisions providing opportunities for improving the well-being of all, embodying values of social and economic justice. This vision can only be realized if people are given the opportunity to live to their full potential.
Currently, the country’s main nutrition problems include; inadequate intakes of energy and protein, iron deficiency anemia, vitamin A deficiency, and iodine deficiency disorders. In order to reduce stunting levels in vulnerable households’ diversification of diets is key.
To address these problems, the Zambian Government through the National Food and Nutrition Commission is implementing the First 1,000 Most Critical Days Programme (MCDPII) aimed at improving the nutritional health status and preventing stunting during the first 1,000 days of human life.
The 1,000 days under the program begin at the inception of the pregnancy, which makes 270 days of pregnancy as well as from day one of being born up to 2 years of age which is translated as a baby has 365 days in the first year, and another 365 days in the second year, which adds to the 1,000 days when included with the days in the womb.
Mongu district in the Western province is among the 100 districts in Zambia where the programme is being implemented based on five strategic objectives, which are to: improve policy, Coordination, financing, and partnerships, Improve the coverage and Quality of Priority Nutrition Interventions for stunting Reduction, Strengthen Capacity of Institutions, Systems and Management interventions, Improve Advocacy for stunting reduction and improve monitoring, evaluation, research, learning and adaptive Management.
Mongu district is one of the beneficiaries of the UNICEF support for the implementation of the Scaling–up Nutrition (SUNII/MCDP II) Programme in 17 districts. The programme is being executed through a multisectoral approach with government key line ministries, with the aim of reducing stunting among pregnant women, Lactating mothers, and Children under 2 years of age.
The programme comprises of five key ministries in Mongu district, which include: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Ministry of Community Development and Social Services and Ministry of Water and Sanitation/WASH. These ministries are critical partners in the implementation of the SUN II programme.
The Ministry of Agriculture in Mongu District being one of the five key ministries in the programme of Scaling –UP Nutrition is on course carrying out cooking demonstrations in all the 17 wards where the SUN II program is being implemented.
Acting Mongu District Agricultural Nutrition Officer Yvonne Chanda is spearheading the ongoing cooking demos and value addition aimed at helping the beneficiaries of the program to gain innovative ways of preserving food crops know how to prepare locally available foods well as adding value to the processed food in order to reduce on the stunting levels in the district.
These cooking demonstrations and value addition are being promoted to achieve good nutrition, as it is a major determinant of educational performance in children. For example, Iodine is essential for the development of the brain during fetal life pregnant women, living in iodine–deficient areas are likely to give birth to mentally retarded children.
Lealui lower is one of the 17 wards in Mongu District in the plans of the Western province where Scaling –UP Nutrition SUN II program is being implemented. It is impressive that the cooking demonstrations has advanced in the 17 wards Lealui Lower ward where all the main targets were on the site such as pregnant women, lactating mothers, women of childbearing age who were either pregnant and with children below the age of 2 years and a few men who are also lead farmers.
The cooking program demonstration takes place at Lealui Primary School where they have a site for SUN II programs. The programs conducted at this site show tremendous impact, as most of the beneficiaries have improved demand and uptake of key nutrition and health services, with notable changes in knowledge and attitudes towards health and nutrition.
The beneficiaries in the various implementing wards have been reached with various interventions from the implementing ministries.
Sharon Akufuna, a lead farmer in Lealui Lower ward narrates how she has benefited from the SUN II project.
“I am humbled for the help rendered to Lealui lower ward in Mongu District, at first we never knew that the locally available foods can be fed to our children. But through the Scaling UP Nutrition Program it has brought tremendous change in terms of feeding our children under 2 years as well as pregnant women and lactating mothers, the stunting levels have been reduced and in my household no more stunting is now the theme of the past,” Ms Akufuna revealed.
She also said her followers who are the beneficiaries of the program are practicing what they have learnt.
“We are here at the site where we normally have programs for SUN and today we are having cooking demos in various locally available foods. We are being taught how we can preserve our vegetables as well as how we can add value to our foods like all green local vegetables, green orange maize, cassava mealie meal, eggs, groundnuts, cowpeas, fruits, as well as green garden vegetables,” Ms Akufuna says.
Kalamatila Tayelo is a Chairperson in Lealui Lower ward in the program of Scaling-UP Nutrition in Mongu District explains; “the beneficiaries in this program have welcomed the initiative wholeheartedly as it has improved the stunting levels in Lealui lower and the whole Mongu District; as you can see from the cooking demonstration the beneficiaries have turned up in large numbers which signify the importance of this program.”
Scaling –UP Nutrition SUN II is a program that has helped to reduce the level of stunting in Mongu District through giving out lessons on good nutrition, giving out cooking demos, giving out seeds such as orange maize, ground nuts, orange sweetie potato veins, making of keyhole gardens, giving them chickens of which the intention is a pass on programme construction of fish pods. It is hoped these interventions will continue to yield positive results. –NAIS
