Mozambique: Levels of chronic malnutrition cut by 10% in last decade, still high

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: Levels of chronic malnutrition cut by 10% in last decade, still high

4:06 CAT | 17 Oct 2024

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Lusa]

Mozambique has seen a reduction in chronic malnutrition levels of 10% in the last decade, but the problem still affects three million people, the Mozambican Technical Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition (SETSAN) announced on Wednesday.

“We are talking about a reduction in the last ten years of around 10% (…), but what we would like to see is that we do not have chronic malnutrition”, said the executive secretary of SETSAN, Leonor Mondlane, during a ceremony marking World Food Day.

The official added that despite the “good results”, around three million Mozambicans are facing an acute food crisis.

“This number corresponds to 28% of the population of the 65 districts covered and corresponds to 9% of the Mozambican population, of which around 5% are in an emergency situation”, said Leonor Mondlane.

According to SETSAN, the Mozambican government, through various political strategies, has been designing operational plans with specific corridors aimed at ensuring food availability throughout the country.

“Despite the progress achieved, many people continue to be excluded from adequate food systems due to conflicts, climate shocks, inequality economic and weak governance”, said José Fernandez, representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), on the same occasion.

At least 3,175 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in the Mozambican province of Sofala have recovered from that condition in the last four years, out of 3,600 identified, according to data released in June in Beira by Unicef.

“In this programme, we managed to recover a total of 3,175 children from malnutrition, and this represents a recovery rate from severe acute malnutrition of 91%,” explained the representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Dezi Mahotas, on the sidelines of the first session of the steering committee of the programme that aims to “improve child nutrition” in the districts most affected by Cyclone Idai, which hit central Mozambique in 2019.

The executive secretary of the Technical Secretariat for Food and Nutrition Security (SETSAN), Leonora Monjane, stated at the time that in the last ten years, the rate of chronic malnutrition in children under 5 years of age had stood at 43%, noting that these levels remain very high in the country.

“We intend to find corrective and preventive measures for this scenario. We also know that Sofala, with Cyclone Idai, created more food security problems, [so] we regressed [in] the food security indicator”, he added.

Nevertheless, he stressed: “We note with satisfaction the alignment of the objectives of this program, which is to improve the nutritional status of children aged 0 to 5 years and pregnant and lactating women, with the policies and strategies of nutritional food security”.

Source: Lusa