A non- profit organisation has partnered with 18 churches in Kisumu, Vihiga and Nandi counties to address malnutrition amongst children in the area.
This follows a sharp rise in cases of malnutrition in the three counties affecting overall child development and health.
Through the partnership Compassion International and the churches have established 18 Child Development Centres where some 5, 600 learners have been enlisted.
The collaborative endeavour aims to extend a lifeline to the children who are currently grappling with food insecurity and its detrimental effects on their health and well-being.
Compassion International Zone Coordinator Richard Sijenyi said the beneficiaries have been selected from the most vulnerable households through the church and National Government Administration Officers (NGAO).
Sijenyi said malnutrition remained a big threat to child survival in the area resulting into cases of stunting, wasting and obesity which are behind a spate of non-communicable diseases among children in the area.
“Half of the deaths in children under 5 years is as a result of malnutrition. Stunting which is caused by malnutrition if not addressed early cannot be rectified when the children are over 10 years. That is why we are reaching out to these children early enough so that they live a holistic life.” he said.
Vihiga County, he said was leading with 17% of children malnourished followed by Nandi at 15% and Kisumu at 9%.
The children put under the nutritional program, he said will have access to proper nutrition, essential healthcare and education to empower them to overcome challenges posed by malnutrition.
Through, the program, he added, Compassion International was using the church to pass information on nutrition to the community to ensure that they prepare a balanced diet to curb malnutrition.
“Most of the families out of ignorance believe that to serve a balanced diet you must have a lot of money yet some of the foods are readily available especially in Vihiga. Therefore, we want the community to have this information so that they can take appropriate action,” he said.
Speaking during a Nutrition Stakeholders Forum in Kisumu, Sijenyi decried the poor uptake and access to nutritional services in the three counties which, he said was to blame for the poor indicators.
County governments, he said have deployed nutritionists and stocked nutrition supplements across health facilities in the area but the uptake remained low.
“This is largely due to lack of information. Our people are not aware of these services. You find that these supplements expire at our health facilities and in the same areas people especially children are dying because of malnutrition,” he said.
He challenged the county governments and partners to scale up awareness to ensure that the services are properly utilised.
The forum brought together different stakeholders among them National Government Administration Officers (NGAO), Children Officers, Nutritionists, the clergy and public health officers from the three counties to deliberate on how best to address the challenge of malnutrition in the area.
Emuhaya Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Chuck Musau attributed the high number of malnutrition cases in the rural areas to poverty and lack of information.
Malnutrition, he said was rampant in families where parents have not gone to school with rural areas where income generating activities are few.
To address the challenge, the government, he said was laying emphasis on the 100% transition at all levels of education to build an empowered society.
The government, he added, was creating awareness on nutrition besides empowering farmers to scale up food production to address malnutrition.
By Chris Mahandara
