Malnutrition continues to be a challenge in Malawi where, instead of making progress, some districts are regressing. And, as MIKE MATAKA writes, Chikwawa is one of the districts where this is self-evident.
When Relief Web indicated, some three years ago, that malnutrition was a persistent reality in Africa, some Malawians might have regarded it as a distant reality, the African continent being so huge.
At the time, Relief Web indicated that nearly 282 million people in Africa (about 20 percent of the population) were undernourished, an increase of 57 million people since the Covid pandemic began in December 2019.
So precarious was the situation that, according to the organisation, more than a billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet.
To make matters worse, it indicated that around 30 percent of children were stunted because of malnutrition.
Then, on June 20 2023, the African Development Bank Group indicated that at least 216 million African children suffer from stunting and malnutrition.
It added that in sub-Saharan Africa, where Malawi belongs, malnutrition is the second leading cause of death.
Still, it remained a distant reality to some Malawians; sub-Saharan Africa, with 48 countries, being huge.
Even when the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) indicated, some 13 years ago, that at least one in three children under-five in Africa were stunted in 2011, the facts sounded a little distant to some Malawians considering that Africa now has, according to the United Nations, 54 countries.
However, the truth has finally come home. Malnutrition is neither a distant reality nor prospect; it is a lived reality in Malawi.
This is because Unicef indicates that Malawi faces a high risk of malnutrition due to acute food insecurity, such that some two years ago, 3.8 million people were at risk of suffering from it in 21 districts.
In 2023 alone, 213,259 children under five were estimated to experience wasting, with 62,000 severely wasted.
The figure is likely to rise as, in March this year, President Lazarus Chakwera declared a state of disaster following the hunger that seriously hit 23 out of 28 districts in Malawi due to El Nino conditions and floods.
And, most recently, the latest nutrition Smart [Standardised Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions] survey conducted in flood and drought-prone livelihood zones of Malawi has revealed that Chikwawa District is among districts that are highly affected by malnutrition.
The Smart methodology, also known as field survey method, is widely used in sub-Saharan Africa by governments and partners at national, sub-national and lower level in nutrition surveillance and early warning systems.
That Chikwawa is in a precarious situation was revealed during the launch of Nutrition Education Week on Wednesday, when the main activity took place at Mitekete ground, Traditional authority Kasisi, in the Southern Region district.
According to Chikwawa District Council Director of Planning and Development, Thokozire Munthali, the district has seen a surge in the rate of stunted growth, which is pegged at 35 percent.
On the other hand, the underweight rate is hovering around 18 percent.
“Indeed, Chikwawa is among the districts that are highly affected by malnutrition. As you know, the district faces a lot of natural disasters. Our data show that malnutrition cases are on the increase.
“So serious is the situation that our public hospitals are registering a lot of malnutrition cases, especially among those who are under five years,” Munthali explained.
Munthali added that it is in the wake of the sobering reality that they have decided to embark on a good nutrition promotion campaign through the Nutrition Week.
“We want to share knowledge on issues such as the importance of having a balanced diet as well as practical ways of addressing the problem of food scarcity. Malnutrition levels have put the district in a precarious situation and that is why, if we have to act, we must act now,” Munthali said.
Chikwawa District Council Director of Agriculture and Environment Jackson Mvula Dziko said they have already started taking measures that would help community members overcome the problem.
“For instance, we are promoting food diversification. The idea is that households should, all the time, have this or that kind of food throughout the year. Experience has shown that overreliance on maize perpetuates the problem of malnutrition when yield suffers from natural and other disasters,” Mvula Dziko said.
One of the community members, Ngabu-based Samson Matchado, said they are tired of suffering from the pangs of malnutrition.
“Malnutrition affects people’s productivity in the sense that they lack the necessary energy to engage in productive work such as fishing, animal rearing, crop productivity and even paid employment. Only by defeating malnutrition can the country meet its short, mid and long-term development goals,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Global Nutrition Report indicates that Malawi is ‘on course’ to meeting two targets for maternal, infant and young child nutrition.
“Malawi has made some progress towards achieving the target for stunting, but 35.5 percent of children under five years of age are still affected, which is higher than the average for the Africa region (30.7 percent). Malawi is ‘on course’ for the target for wasting, with 2.6 percent of children under five years of age affected, which is lower than the average for the Africa region (6.0 percent). The prevalence of overweight children under five years of age is 4.4 percent and Malawi is ‘on course’ to prevent the figure from increasing.
“Malawi has shown limited progress towards achieving the diet-related non-communicable disease targets. 11.0 percent of adult (aged 18 years and over) women and 2.7 percent of adult men are living with obesity. Malawi’s obesity prevalence is lower than the regional average of 20.8 percent for women and 9.2 percent for men,” the report reads.
Unicef indicates that for countries to avert problems associated with malnutrition, they must improve women’s nutrition, especially before, during and after pregnancy; and promote early and exclusive breastfeeding.
That way, districts such as Chikwawa will duck malnutrition’s heavy blow.
