Malnutrition drops at Kan'goma Health Centre

By Elias Banda

men and women participate during nutrition training

Cases of malnutrition among children aged below 5 have reduced at Kangoma Health Centre, East of Lilongwe City. According to Eliot Kazembe, Senior Health Surveillance Assistant at the center, the figures have dropped from175 cases last year to 60 this year, representing a 34.2 % plunge.
Kazembe attributed the drop to community adoption of food security and nutrition technologies mainstreamed by government and other stakeholders in the area.
Malnourished children at the health centre are provided with food supplements, including soy flour.   Mr Kazembe told the Action for Social Program (ASC) mid-term evaluation team in August that ADRA Malawi   ASC Program had contributed to the change. Since last year, ADRA Malawi has built capacity of community based groups on food production and utilization. Food utilization included preparation skills that would help targeted households to diversify diets on locally produced foods and reduce dependency on nsima(corn flour meal) as the main staple food.

some food displays after nutrition training

Kang’oma Health Centre is surrounded by 280 village communities and ADRA Malawi is targeting 60 villages.  The ASC Program is being supported by Denmark to bring about individual and society change.