Malawi shines on children’s nutrition

A survey has put Malawi among three countries that show commitment with sound nutrition and survival outcomes in the world.

Other countries are Guatemala and Peru.

The three countries have both sound political and financial commitments and sound outcomes relative to the other countries, reads an abstract of a report by Save the Children and World Vision titled a ‘Nutrition Barometer.’

The study looked at 36 developing countries with the highest levels of child undernutrition.

The nutrition barometer provides a snapshot of national governments’ commitments to addressing children’s nutrition and the progress they have made.

Deputy director responsible for planning, research and evaluation Humphrey Mdyetseni on Tuesday attributed the good news to an integrated approach government has taken, saying there is a well guided policy.

“We are not surprised because over the past decade it was a problem. We carried out various studies. We undertook reprogramming of the nutrition sector hence the Department of Nutrition. There is also a national strategic plan to improve child nutrition,” he said. 

The barometer measures governments’ political and legal commitment to tackling malnutrition and as their financial commitment.