Kelfoods supports Dowa mothers

Poultry and animal feed producer Kelfoods on Monday donated 50 trays of eggs to the Mother’s Fun Run initiative.

Speaking during the presentation ceremony of the eggs in Limbe, Blantyre, Kelfoods revenue manager Roweena Trinidade Osman said they have supported the Mother’s Fun Run initiative as one way of addressing the protein shortage in Malawi.

“Eggs are a necessity for healthy diets, the mother and the baby need these nutrients for their bodies to grow and repair cells,” she said.

Kelfoods which produces table eggs, broiler day old chicks and animal feed is known for its popular products Donna’s Eggs, Proto Feeds, Proto Chicks and Proto Vets.

Mother’s Fun Run is a safe motherhood initiative championed by Nation Publications Limited (NPL) with the support of partners aimed at mobilising medical equipment and supplies for public health facilities in the country.

According to Nation Publications Limited business development manager Chimwemwe Jere, this year the initiative is mobilising resources for Dowa District Hospital and its satellite facilities.

The initiative seeks to raise K150 million to meet the needs of the district’s public maternity facilities.

Jere expressed gratitude to Kelfoods for contributing to the good health of mothers in the country.

He said: “This donation is in line with one of our advocacy areas, nutrition. We are, therefore, grateful to Kelfoods, who for the second year now, have supported the Mother’s Fun Run to boost the nutrition for expectant mothers.”

Dowa District Hospital serves a population of 45 387 and an estimated target population of 10 000 women of childbearing age, according to 2022-2023 District Data.

Between January and June 2022 the facility had registered 554 antenatal admissions, 83 of which were teenage pregnancies. Out of these, 390 were normal deliveries and 103 caesarean operations.

Last year, the district registered 21 608 newly registered antenatal cases and 1 964 obstetric complications, which included ruptured uterus, obstructed labour and pre-term labour resulting in 16 maternal deaths and 86 neonatal deaths.