Parents urged to support programs on food security & nutrition to fight Malnutrition in children

It is estimated that half of the households in Uganda are food insecure and consume foods that most cases lack nutrients a factor attributed to reduced life expectancy. G20 countries in partnership with the government of Uganda have embarked on funding multi-sectral food security projects in the country aimed at reducing the increasing malnutrition and poor health especially in children under 5 years in order to curb malnutrition & stunted growth that are caused by lack of nutrients in the body resulting from food consumption both quality and quantity.

Speaking live in the studios of HITS Fm on ToroDev’s supported ‘Orukurato’ program that is aired every Saturday 8:00pm-10:00pm on  24th June, 2017, the Kabarole assistant project coordinator Mr. Katisa Paul said government is implementing the nutrition project through schools. In Kabarole district alone demonstration farms in one hundred (100) UPE schools managed by teachers, pupils, PTA, SMC’s members have been set up for both teachers, pupils and parents to acquire skills in nutritional farming.

School children doing gardening as part of their practical skills subject

 Paul further said that when pupils and their parents acquire skills, most likely they will copy what is practiced at school to their homes and in the long run our children in homes will start feeding on nutritious foods which will help them grow strong and become productive people in future.

‘’The project is further aimed at encouraging diet diversity and promotion of appropriate feeding of young children on foods with high nutrients using our ancestral  foods,  reduce malnutrition, stunted growth, support the issue of lunch in UPE schools. The funds allocated to these schools to implement the project is managed and accounted for by PTA & SMC’s members as they do their management roles in these selected schools’’, said Paul Katisa the G20 assistant project coordinator, Kabarole district. We have faced a challenge of changes in climatic conditions in different parts of the district where the project is being implemented but hope to have stable and favorable climate conditions for best yields and project success.

A demonstration of a school garden in one of the schools

During the 2 hours live discussion, callers participated through call-inns; ‘’we are happy for government to think about nutrition/diet  and involving children in schools because they can sustain what they are practicing now’’, said James Tumusiime a caller from Ntoroko district, ‘’Malnutrition and stunted growth are serious issues for ones growth in body and mind, we hope such and other related  illnesses will soon be history in our communities’’, said Happy Kirwana a caller from Bugaki sub county in Kyenjojo district, ”Our traditional foods used to be like Herbal medicine which would help to fight diseases in our bodies, the campaign on diet will help us increase the life expectancy due to feeding on nutrients’’, said Margret Kobusinge  a caller from Rwimi in Kabarole district.

We take a great opportunity to thank SIDA, NED, SPIDER, ICT4DEM, and CIPESA for the financial and technical support to run these programs.