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Malnutrition Continues to Haunt Nsanje Communities
The growth of children, especially those under the age of five, in the nation is still seriously hampered by malnutrition-Cornelius Lupenga.
Malawi-The growth of children, especially those under the age of five, in the nation is still seriously hampered by malnutrition, writes Cornelius Lupenga.
The Nsanje district of Shire Valley has not been spared by this.
Children under the age of five are particularly affected, as this typically causes stunting and, in rare instances, death.
Malnourished children were being referred to the Nutrition Rehabilitation Unit (NRU) in Nsanje, where they were admitted for closer observation and given balanced meals until they reached the right weight.
A mother, Estere Madalitso, claimed that she had no idea how to prepare balanced meals for her child, which resulted in the child being malnourished and being admitted to the NRU department at Kalemba Rural Community.
She claimed that at the NRU, she went through training on how to prepare balanced meals for her kids along with a large number of other mothers who shared the same issue.
“Over 20 of us were admitted to the NRU due to malnutrition, but as the days went by, some were released as the kids put on weight,” she said.
Prior to the implementation of the "Community Led Complementary Feeding Sessions"-CCFLS, also known as "Chithando" in the local vernacular, where malnourished children in the villages gathered to learn cooking lessons, the district used to record many cases of malnutrition, according to Litta Saka Butao, a village health promoter.
Despite having access to resources locally, she claimed that parents' ignorance of how to prepare balanced meals for their kids is contributing to the malnutrition issue.
With assistance from The Hunger Project, we have graduated more than 1,200 kids since we began holding CCFLS sessions in 2019," she said.
The fact that the graduating students are no longer attending the sessions, according to Saka Butao, is the most encouraging thing.
Elizabeth Simbi, a second mother from the June Kampira village, recalls that neither of her first two children ever showed signs of malnutrition.
She claimed the issue started after the birth of her third child, who she claimed was underweight, which is why she was attending the CCFLS sessions.
Since Simbi completed the 12-day rehabilitation programme, her child's weight has increased from 7.1 kg to 7.9 kg, according to Simbi.
We were taught to prepare wholesome meals using locally available ingredients like maize mgaiwa, groundnuts, pumpkin leaves (nkhwani), chisoso, eggs, and moringa (chamwamba), to name a few.
Nutritionist at Nsanje District Hospital Tapiwa Rejoice Ngwira reports that the district's stunting rates are 31.1%, wasting rates are 8.7%, and underweight rates are 17.5%.
She claimed that in light of this, mothers whose kids suffer from malnutrition gather in their neighbourhoods under the name "Chithando" to learn how to prepare healthy meals for their kids and families.
“The CCFLS sessions are only held to treat moderate malnutrition, and we don't give the kids free food,” said Ngwira.
Another mother, Martha Julius, claims that the CCFLS programme faces difficulties because there is a shortage of maize flour or mgaiwa because most households are experiencing food insecurity.
She said that the mothers' attendance has suffered as a result.
"Some women only attend the sessions for a few days and leave without completing the 12 days of rehabilitation," she said, citing a lack of food supplies.
However, Julius was confident that their plans to reduce malnutrition and the number of under-five child deaths in the region and Nsanje would be successful.