Mothers' Smiles Return as Project Wipes Out Child Malnutrition
The Nansen project is designed to address the interlinked challenges of food insecurity, poverty, and climate change, which have been intensified by the Ukraine war.
MCHINJI, Malawi — Women in Group Village Headman Daka, Traditional Authority Kabzobzo, Mchinji district, are celebrating the success of the Nansen project, implemented by Norwegian Church Aid and Danish Church Aid through Total Land Care, in reducing malnutrition among children under five, writes Martin Kamlaike.
A visit to the area on Tuesday revealed the positive impact of the project on families, particularly women, who have benefited from the knowledge and skills imparted by the program.
Tafere James, a mother of twins in Village Headman Daka, testified to the project's effectiveness.
"I was devastated to learn my twin was malnourished, but the project taught me to screen and prepare nutritious food," James said, beaming with pride.
"Now, my children are healthy, and I encourage all mothers to learn from this program."
James explained that she was trained to use the Middle Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) to screen her children for malnutrition.
"In this program, we are learning how to prepare nutritious food with six food groups. We are also learning to establish vegetable gardens so that we do not go and buy vegetables in local markets," she added.
Genaloza Maliko of Mulungucha village, another beneficiary of the program, shared her story.
"I joined the program in November 2023 after my child was found malnourished," Maliko said. "After undergoing a 12-day treatment period, my child's condition greatly improved."
Maliko expressed her gratitude to the Nansen project for providing her with the knowledge and skills to combat malnutrition.
"I am teaching my fellow Malawians that when a child has been found to be malnourished, we need to take the child to the under 5 clinics. When told to give nutritious porridge, we must follow all the advice as given by the health personnel so that we see improvements in our children," she said.
Group Village Headman Daka, Eleford Chisasule Phiri, acknowledged the project's impact in reducing child mortality rates and improving the overall health of children in the village. "In the past, things were not good.
A lot of children's lives were lost before their lives were vulnerable to health problems," Phiri said.
"Parents failed to determine the cause of the children's deaths, but now we have known that it was lack of good health of children."
Veronica Kasimu, a child health promoter, expressed satisfaction with the project's progress.
"In the first phase of the program, out of 130 malnourished children, only 15 failed to improve convincingly, but I am assured that the second phase will be much better than the first phase," Kasimu said.
She praised the Nansen project for imparting knowledge to her and her community on how to prepare nutritious food and fight malnutrition in children.
The Faith in Farmers project, launched in June 2023, aims to improve food security and nutrition for under-five children in Malawi.
The Nansen project is designed to address the interlinked challenges of food insecurity, poverty, and climate change, which have been intensified by the Ukraine war.
The project is being implemented by Total Land Care with support from Norad through Nansen to Norwegian Church Aid and Danish Church Aid Malawi Joint Country Programme.
As the project continues to make a positive impact in the lives of women and children in Mchinji district, it serves as a model for addressing malnutrition and promoting food security in other parts of Malawi.