Following the impact of the cyclone, the Government of Malawi declared a state of disaster in Nsanje and 15 other local governments in Malawi’s southern region, and mobilised partners to support lifesaving, recovery and resilience building efforts.
For Mpomba, the support from partners like UNICEF – which works in collaboration with the Ministry of Health’s Department of Nutrition, The Hunger Project (THP), Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) and district councils – has enabled frontline health workers scale up their fight against malnutrition.
“Our priority is to prevent and treat malnutrition in all under-five children. We screen as many children as possible for malnutrition using tools like mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) tapes and height boards.
“Based on the assessments, we provide appropriate treatment to the children who are malnourished. Some are admitted in the nutrition rehabilitation unit at the district hospital while others are treated as outpatients and their parents just collect RUTF packets every week until the child recovers,” he says.
Fatima Zuze, 27, has an undernourished girl-child who is regularly served by Mpomba and other HSAs at Nsanje District Hospital. She doesn’t miss the nutrition clinics held every Thursday at the hospital to collect RUTF packets for her 11-months-old daughter, Malita.
“I was very troubled and stressed when my child was not feeling well and had swelling legs,” says Zuze. “Now I feel good to see her happier and getting better than before.”
Mpomba expresses similar satisfaction with Malita’s progress in recovering from malnutrition.
“Malita looks healthier now than she was some few weeks ago,” he says, while advising her mother not to share the RUTF packets with anyone else in the village.
Credit: Source link