A nutrition enrichment project targeting households, particularly women and children, has been launched in Nyandarua County courtesy of a partnership between the County government, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), and CARE International NGOs.
The project, Catalysing Strengthened Policy Actions for Healthy Diets and Resilience (CASCADE), was launched at Oljororok Primary School on Thursday with Nyandarua Governor Moses Badilisha in attendance.
The Governor said the county was in support of the collaborative efforts between the county government and development agencies towards improving the nutritional needs of Nyandarua people.
He said that one way to achieve this is through educating families, especially women, and creating alternative and broader avenues of income generation for households.
Badilisha urged the community members to practise what they will be taught by CARE and GAIN so that they can triple their farm produce.
“This programme is in several countries, and we are glad that in Kenya we are among the three counties selected. Many people in Nyandarua have food but do not eat a balanced diet. It is unfortunate that our children’s stunted growth percentage stands at 18 per cent. That means Nyandarua is classified with counties in the North Eastern, despite this being a food basket.
We want this programme to work, and we promise that we shall partner with CARE and GAIN till the end in 2026, and if the organisations want to extend their time in Nyandarua beyond that, we shall support them,” said Badilisha.
On their part, the two stakeholders, CARE Kenya and GAIN, said that the project is set to transform food systems and combat malnutrition.
CARE International Kenya Country Director Leah Kaguara said that the programme selected Nyandarua because it is a food basket, but unfortunately, farmers sell most of their produce, leaving the least nutritious foods in their homes.
“We have pumped Sh8.5 million into the five years we shall be in Nyandarua. We shall work with farmers and women’s groups to ensure the programme succeeds,” assured Kaguara.
The CASCADE project will engage various stakeholders at county levels in order to increase budgetary allocation for nutrition in line with the county integrated development plans (CIDPs) and implement county nutrition action plans (CNAPS) and other agro-nutrition-related policies.
According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey of 2022 (KDHS), stunting in children is higher among children in rural areas (20%) than among children in urban areas (12%).
Stunted growth in children in Nyandarua County stands at 18%, according to the KDHS survey of 2022.
By Antony Mwangi
