Tag: MALNUTRITION

Zimbabwe’s Nutrition Advocacy and Parliamentary Engagement Project Gains Traction

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In a bid to enhance nutrition advocacy and strengthen policymaker engagement on child nutrition and development, Zimbabwe has launched a network of nutrition champions, an initiative that is now gaining momentum and driving greater collaboration across sectors. The programme is being implemented by the Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (ZCSOSUNA), with financial and technical support from UNICEF, in collaboration with key government ministries and departments. The launch followed a recent report by the Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee (ZimLAC), which revealed that stunting remains a…

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Stunting Remains a Critical Challenge for Zimbabwe’s Children, Report Reveals

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa  Despite improvements in several food security and nutrition indicators, stunting rates among children under five in Zimbabwe remain alarmingly high, posing a significant threat to the nation’s human capital and long-term development, according to the recently released 2025 Rural Livelihoods Assessment Report. The report, produced by the Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee (ZimLAC), indicates that 23.8% of children aged 6-59 months are stunted. Stunting, defined as impaired growth and development due to poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation, has lifelong consequences for health, cognitive ability, and economic productivity.…

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Family led MAUC: Fighting Malnutrition amid El-Nino drought

Healthtimes

By Caroline Chiimba Placing mothers at the center of malnutrition screening strategies acknowledges that they are in the best position to detect the earliest signs of malnutrition in their children. Using a multifaceted approach to fighting malnutrition in vulnerable communities, the EU funded ‘Enhanced Resilience for Vulnerable Households in Zimbabwe’ (ERVHIZ) project trained more that eighteen thousand households to screen for malnutrition using MAUC tapes in Matebeleland’s six districts. Through the Care group model, Nutrition Action Zimbabwe in partnership with Ministry of Health under the ERVHIZ project distributed MAUC tapes…

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Zim Has The Best Breastfeeding Trend: Experts

Healthtimes

EXPERTS have commended the country’s breastfeeding trend which is currently amongst the highest in the region  and encouraged mothers to continue breastfeeding even after they would have tested positive for COVID-19. By Patricia Mashiri Speaking to HealthTimes, Mr Dexter Chagwena, a Nutritionist Consultant in the Ministry of Health and Child Care said the breastfeeding trend in Zimbabwe has been good even though there is need to improve on exclusive breastfeeding. Breastfeeding trend in Zimbabwe has been fairly good. We are a breastfeeding country where about between 96-98% of our children…

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Kick-Out Stunting Campaign To Raise Awareness On Micro-nutrients Deficiencies In Children

Michael Gwarisa

THERE is need to address the issue of micro-nutrients deficiencies in children at a very young age in order to arrest the malnutrition and stunting problem  currently haunting Zimbabwe, a nutritionist has said. By Michael Gwarisa According to the 2020 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) survey, stunting remains high at 29.4% for the children under the age of five. The national stunting prevalence was reported to be 29.4% among children6-59 months. The Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate was 3.7% and below the WHO threshold for emergency. Children identified as underweight…

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Stunting Remains Zimbabwe’s Leading Form Of Malnutrition In Children- ZimVAC 2020

Michael Gwarisa

CHILD Stunting continues to slow efforts to address malnutrition in Zimbabwe amidst indications that stunting remains high at 29.4% for the children under the age of five according to the 2020 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) survey. By Michael Gwarisa According to the ZimVAC, the national stunting prevalence was reported to be 29.4% among children6-59 months. The Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate was 3.7% and below the WHO threshold for emergency. Children identified as underweight was 9.45 and comparable with other assessments Stunting remains high (29.4%) and the leading form…

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Provide Food Basket Instead To Avert COVID-19 Induced Malnutrition- Gvt Told

Michael Gwarisa

THE Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition (ZCSOSUNA) has called on government to  replace the current ZW$200 food assistance cash transfer assistance being given to vulnerable households with a nutritious food basket  in a bit to avert a spike in Severe Acute Malnutrition cases. By Michael Gwarisa Briefing Journalists this morning, ZCSOSUNA National Coordinator, Mr Kudakwashe Zombe said food and nutrition assistance need to be at the heart of social protection programmes especially under the prevailing environment where revenue streams have been disrupted at the back of lockdown restrictions.…

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241 Zim Children Admitted For Severe Acute Malnutrition Treatment During Lockdown

Michael Gwarisa

THE COVID-19 induced lockdown has worsened the food security situation at household level, in the process, compromising the nutrition status of children and pregnant women, amidst indications that a total 214 children were admitted for treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) by the month of May, 2020. By Michael Gwarisa According to the 2020 Zimbabwe Humanitarian Response Plan which was launched in April this year, around 7 million people across the country are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZIMVAC) report also highlighted that the…

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AU Summit: African leaders call for action to end malnutrition by 2025

Healthtimes

AFRICAN countries have made progress toward eradicating malnutrition and stunting but need to do more to hit United Nations malnutrition targets by 2025. This was the main message of a meeting that took place during the 33rd African Union Summit. Speakers at a meeting of the African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN) included the heads of state of Madagascar, Cote d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone, national ministers of health as well as African Development Bank (AfDB.org) President Akinwumi Adesina, head of the African Development Bank. Leaders acknowledged the scope of the challenge…

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Nutrition Crucial For Pregnant, Lactating Women & children During Droughts

Healthtimes

AS our nation slowly plunges into what has been projected to be one of the most catastrophic droughts over decades, it is crucial that key decision makers in government ministries take cognizance of the fact that good nutrition takes center stage in human and economic development of our country. By Kudakwashe Zombe According to the World Food Program (WFP),  Zimbabwe was facing another famine following indications that the 2020 harvest  could be low at the back continued dry spells. The WFP said it was appealing to the international community to…

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