First Lady calls on Mozambicans to embrace the fight against malnutrition

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First Lady calls on Mozambicans to embrace the fight against malnutrition

9:22 CAT | 18 Oct 2022

Photo: First Lady Isaura Nyusi on Facebook

The First Lady Isaura Nyusi on Monday challenged society, particularly mothers, to promote Mozambique’s development by embracing the fight against chronic malnutrition.

Isaura Nyusi made the call in the town of Nametil, Mogovolas district, northern Mozambican Nampula province, at the launching ceremony of the Nutrition Education Campaign “Crescer Bem” (Growing Well).

The event was also part of the celebrations of International Day of Rural Women celebrated on Saturday (15).

Official data indicate 24 per cent of the Mozambican population still suffers the effects of chronic malnutrition.

“Despite being one of the main challenges of public health in the country, chronic malnutrition is still unknown to large part of our population. I am convinced that, as in the past, from mother to mother, Mozambican mothers will unite to overcome this challenge of making Mozambique grow well,” said the First Lady.

“With the Programme, we intend to train about 2.5 million women in rural areas in nutritional education, which could benefit 5 million Mozambican children”, she said.

To achieve these targets Isaura Nyusi expects the collaboration of a vast network of extension officers well represented by the extension women.

“We want, on this date that we launched this initiative, to announce with great satisfaction that over the last five years, we have been able to reduce the rates of chronic malnutrition from 43 to 38 percent, as attested by the Household Budget Survey for children under five years of age”.

The choice of Nampula province to host the launch of the nutritional education campaign was not by mere chance, says the First Lady.

“On this day when we celebrate Rural Women’s Day, we chose Nampula province, in particular the district of Mogovolas, to launch the Nutrition Education Campaign “Crescer Bem”, because this province has the highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the country, around 46.7 per cent in children under 5 years of age, with the highest incidence here”.

The Nutritional Education Programme “Crescer Bem”, is an initiative of the First Lady’s Office in coordination with the Mozambican government, aiming at raising awareness and mobilise the entire Mozambican society, particularly pregnant women, mothers and guardians.

Isaura Nyusi was accompanied at the launch of the campaign by the Agriculture Minister, Celso Correia and of Gender, Women and Children, Nyeleti Mondlane, cooperation partners of the government and the United Nations agencies.