CHIKWAWA-(MaraviPost)-Amref Health Africa, non government organization focusing on delivering primary health care in rural communities is targeting to reach out to over 11 500 households in Chikwawa with massages on how they can improve their Nutrition and hygiene status.
Through its two year project called Improving Health Outcomes for Women and children, the organisation seeks to reduce high death rate among expectant mothers and children arising due to hygiene and nutrition related illnesses.
Speaking on the sidelines of a training the organisation held for its care group promoters under Traditional Authority’s ( T/A) Ngabu in the district recently, Bester Gondwe ,Amref Project Officer for the District said Floods, droughts and dry spells which have characterized the district in recent years have also put people in the district especially women and children at risk of malnutrition due to food insecurity.
He indicated that while the country has stunting levels at 37 percent, the district’s stunting levels is at 33 percent which he said is on higher side comparing with other districts.
Gondwe said that the situation has resulted to a rise in mortality rates among expectant mothers,their unborn babies as well as children of up to five years.
He then disclosed that his organisation has adopted the care group model to reach out to women and under-5 children with nutrition and best hygiene practices.
Under the model ,Gondwe said his organisation is training volunteers to be providing counseling to households in the district on how they can scale up nutrition uptake among expectant mothers and under five children using local available foods.
The volunteers called are also helping households to attain best hygiene standards by encouraging them to adopt basic hygiene principles such as washing hands.
“Our focus is to scale up nutrition among expectant mothers and children from their infancy up until when they reach five years old.So we are training care group promoters who are to teach cluster leaders . The cluster leaders teaches households, hygiene and nutrition.
“We pay particular focus on what should a pregnant woman eat,when to start antenatal services etc. We basically intend to scale up nutrition during the first 1000 days of unborn child from conception to a period when the child is at least two years old”, said Gondwe.
John Mugawa a clinical officer in the under five department at Chikwawa District Hospital said the hospital is registering rising cases of maternal and neonatal deaths on daily basis hence he was optimistic that the project shall go along way in reversing the trend.
Amref is is implementing the project with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and has so far managed to train 54 care group promoters who are expected to reach out to over 11500 households in T/A Ngabu and Chapanga in the district.
