MUTARE — The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has scaled up efforts to fight stunting in children in Mutare, where the problem is rife.
BY PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI
Stunting is caused by persistent malnutrition in early childhood and health experts say children affected by this condition grow at a slower rate than normal children.
FAO has intervened through the Improved Nutrition for Sustainable Productivity for Increased Resilience and Economic Growth (Inspire) programme and trained village health workers to spread the gospel of best nutrition practices.
The programme, funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, is targeted at children under the age of five, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
A nutrition officer with Inspire, Memory Gavita, said although Zimbabwe had a national average stunting rate of 33%, according to the latest Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee report, Mutare had the highest local average rate at 47%.
“In this district, we are targeting 1 000 households per ward and that makes 27 000 in Mutare district as a whole,” she said.
“So far we have reached 70% of our target. In this district there has been chronic malnutrition over a long period of time.”
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Gavita attributed the malnutrition to lack of proper food, micronutrient deficiencies and poor feeding practices.
Villagers said they had drawn immense benefits from the programme which covered components of nutrition, sanitation, breastfeeding and antenatal care as well as the promotion of health gardens in which villagers grow healthy, nutritious vegetables.
Emily Manyange from Mukarakate village told NewsDay that their diet had improved after they were trained on nutrition.
“We received training on how to prepare and preserve food for our children,” she said.
“We also learnt about malnutrition and how it leads to kwashiorkor and stunting.”
Although the stunting rate in the country is still lower than in other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, it has been on a sharp ascent over the past 15 years.
Currently, one in every three children in Zimbabwe suffers from chronic malnutrition or stunting, which is likely to contribute to over 12 000 child deaths each year.
Global evidence shows that exclusive breastfeeding can reduce chronic malnutrition at 36 months (the cut-off age for irreversible stunting) by 36% and reduce mortality by 25%.
