Dedza Council urges girls to take iron supplements

Dedza District Council has urged girls in Traditional Authority Kachindamoto in the district to take iron folic acid along with other nutritious foodstuffs to stay healthy.

The council’s sports officer Janet Makawa said this on Monday during a sports bonanza meant to woo girls to receive the iron supplement.

She said her office organised the bonanza to attract huge crowds.

“We wanted messages on iron folic acid to reach many people at once. We were pleased to see adolescent girls aged between 10 and 19 receiving iron,” said Makawa.

Dorothy Bande, from Kadewere Village under group village head Kaphulika, said the iron will help her maintain her blood level.

“As girls, we lose blood during our menstruation and the iron will help in replenishing the blood,” she said.

Bande also said she learned that consuming local foodstuffs and fruits can boost immune system.

“Most youths will now have backyard gardens because we know that not everything should come from shops. We ask the council to take the interventions to other areas in the district,” she said.

Kaphulika Youth Network chairperson Mark Phiri said they were pleased with the initiative.

“We noted that we can get six food groups locally as it is not always necessary to buy them. This is the knowledge we did not have,” he said.

Phiri said they also learned to consider cassava or potatoes as food.

The programme is targeting Chimbiya, Chikololere, Kapiri and Mankhamba areas under the Joint Programme on Girls Education school zones reaching out to 41 primary schools.

Unicef provided K15 million to implement iron folic acid activities