People in Mzimba hail Afikepo nutrition projectdeputy

People in Mzimba District have commended Afikepo Nutrition Project for encouraging breastfeeding and pregnant mothers to eat nutritious food.

Speaking in an interview on Sunday, Clement Kaweche, community member from Kamkwapa Village in Traditional Authority (T/A) Chindi, said the project encouraged people to eat meat in their diets.

“Previously, people could not slaughter cattle, goats or chickens due to cultural beliefs resulting from misconceptions and myths. They raised the animals for prestige and for sale,” he said.

Kaweche said besides encouraging people to eat meat, the project also taught mothers to prepare six food groups using locally available materials.

“Many women now give their under-five children six food groups to improve their nutrition status,” he said.

Another community member Jessie Gondwe of Emsizini Extension Planning Area in T/A Kampingo Sibande said the project facilitated the production of yellow potatoes, yellow maize and beans which are rich in iron and vitamin A.

“We learned to diversify our food sources. So we have backyard gardens where we grow vegetables and we keep different kinds of animals,” she said.

Mzimba North district deputy director of agriculture, environment and natural resources Perrina Phewa commended the communities for adopting Afikepo nutrition interventions.

“For example, at Njuyu, the community has established a nursery for yellow potato vines and fruit tree seedlings,” she said.

Phewa advised communities to take care of animals such as goats, chickens and rabbits received under the project.

She said: “To sustain the project, people should not sell the animals. They should let them to multiply because they will need them to supplement with other foodstuffs to make six food groups.

“They should also remember that they will pass on the animals to other beneficiaries.”

Afikepo is a European Union-funded project