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Mwanza DC pleased with nutrition project

Mwanza district commissioner (DC)  Malango Botomani has expressed satisfaction with the Investing in Early Years (IEY) Project for enhancing nutrition interventions in the district.

She expressed the sentiments on Saturday during the project’s first quarter financial review in the district.

Botomani said she was pleased with the coordination among stakeholders implementing the interventions, saying people have changed their minds about nutrition.

Botomani: We will work hard

“We will continue to work hard to reduce stunting. I urge other partners to come up with interventions to improve people’s health status in the district,” she said.

Mwanza district principal nutrition, HIV and Aids officer Kondwani Chavula said the five-year project is encouraging people to keep livestock, establish backyard gardens, plant fruit trees and eat six food groups.

“Community members have embraced the interventions. Again, through food cooking demonstrations, people now know how to prepare nutritious meals using locally available resources,” he said.

Mwanza district social welfare officer Mary Msindwa said the project has motivated children to enrol with community-based childcare centres (CBCCs) in the district.

“The number of children in CBCCs has increased to 9 600 this year from 6 300 last year. This is because the project encourages CBCCs to provide porridge prepared from fortified maize flour to children,” he said.

Nutrition coordinating committee chairperson Jack Nyirenda from Traditional Authority Govati said community members were eager to implement the interventions to fight stunting.

“We will continue to engage people to eat six food groups to boost their nutrition status,” he said.

Mwanza district’s stunting prevalence rate is at 31 percent against the national prevalence rate of 37 percent.

With funding from the World Bank, Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare is implementing a five-year IEY Project in the district.

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