Some members of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and women drawn from different parts of the country have been trained on the importance of food diversification and nutritional benefits of Moringa tree in a bid to fight malnutrition especially in rural areas.
Participants pose for group picture during capacity building workshop on food diversification to fight malnutrition
This was during in a two day Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) civil society coalition advocacy and capacity-building workshop organized in collaboration with the Helen Keller International Foundation at Tou’ Ngou Hotel, Yaounde.
The participants were drilled on opportunities and challenges that come with mobilizing funding for nutrition, various nutritional benefits found in traditional meals, methodological elements to lead a nutrition advocacy in the fight against malnutrition with local products and development of advocacy plans for food diversification, awareness among others.
Participants were also schooled on what to consume, how to consume it and its nutritional value to the body as well as how to look at different food sources with nutrients that help fight against malnutrition.
The training was also used by to launch the “One Woman, One Tree” project imitated by one of SUN nutrition ambassadors, Christine Andela, who also doubles as Founder/coordinator of the Collective of NGOs for Food Security and Rural Development (COSADER).
SUN Nutrition Ambassador, Christine Andela explaining objective of her "One Woman, One Tree" Project to reporters
Andela explained that the project falls within the roadmap of some activities she will carry out as an ambassador. The project aims at promoting the planting of Moringa tree which she describes tree of life and is being planted by countries worldwide.
She used the workshop to underscore the nutritional benefits of the Moringa which she described as a tree of life. The plant, she added is also rich in vitamin ‘A’ and can perfectly be used in fighting malnutrition with its rich nutritional values. Andela revealed that there will be training for and awareness campaigns to get women familiarize themselves with the tree so as to learn how to and nurse it before eventually planting.
Cross-section of participants at training
“Since Moringa is a tree that maintains soil humidity, it will also help on fighting against climate change and thus preserve soil humidity where they are planted,” Andela said. She explained that women are key to the project because as key to homes and communities, they will eventually pull more men along.
Participants observing a minute of silence in memory of deceased SUN Nutrition Ambassador, Hon. Emilia Lifaka
In a presentation on the situation of malnutrition in the country, Mrs. Mahamat Marlise Ngede, Chief of Service of Dietary and Nutrition Intervention in the Ministry of Public Health, disclosed startling statistics on children still suffering malnutrition, its causes, dangers and how it could be avoided in communities.
“Since 1991, there are almost more than 12 million who are suffering malnutrition,” she said, adding that at least 45% stunting is underlying cause of child mortality. She dished out scaling up nutrition specific intervention nutrition-sensitive guides that can be implemented as well as urged municipal authorities to step up the fight in their municipalities within their development plans.
Mahamat urged authorities and civil society organisations to federate forces like never before in scaling up multi-sectorial intervention and use data to more implement interventions to reduce malnutrition.
The training was under the watchful eyes of Head of the Inter-ministerial Committee to fight against malnutrition, Ihong III.
Head of Inter-ministerial committee on figgt against malnutrition addressing participants
The official used the opening of the training to highlight efforts made by government in the direction of addressing malnutrition related issues nationwide. Efforts which he attributed to the Prime Minister, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute, who himself is a SUN nutrition ambassador.
By Doh Bertrand Nua
No comments:
Post a Comment