Mzimba South District Health Office nutritionist Elizabeth Mkandawire has emphasised the importance of giving under-five children complementary feeding to beat malnutrition.
She said this on Tuesday during a two-day orientation on Complementary Feeding Modules for Mzimba District Nutrition Coordinating Committee that Feed the Children organised under its Child Focused Community Development Programme.
Mkandawire said there was a need for parents and caregivers to give children nutritious complementary food other than breast milk.
She said: “There are many effects of malnutrition such as stunted growth, weakened immune system and developmental delays.
“Between six and 23 months, such effects can be easily avoided if proper nutritious meals are given to the babies.”
Mkandawire stressed the need for parents to adopt ways of feeding babies food that includes meat, fish and vegetables.
“Treating malnutrition is expensive; therefore, we appreciate Feed the Children and other partners that are supporting the district’s efforts to improve nutrition practices,” she said.
M’Mbelwa District Council acting principal nutrition, HIV and Aids officer Gift Simkonda commended the training.
“The intervention has come at the right time when the district is striving to scale up efforts to eliminate stunted growth,” he said.
Feed the Children launched the Child Focused Community Development Programme in 2012.
Some of the measures to improve nutrition practices include establishing backyard gardens to grow vegetables and fruits as well as raising poultry.
The project targets 5 000 households in Traditional Authority Mzikubola in the district.
