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Health authorities within the Sekyere East District of the Ashanti Region have disclosed that there has been an improvement in malnutrition-related cases among children in the area.
This has largely been attributed to an initiative by World Vision where parents have been urged to adopt “Improved Feeding Practices” for their babies within their first 100 days.
This project aimed at improving the feeding practices of 5,520 women of productive age between 15 and 49.
Aside from the Sekyere East District, the project was implemented in two other areas in Ghana namely, Kintampo South and Kassena Nankana districts.
In all, throughout the three districts where the project has been implemented, it covered 70 communities with an estimated population of 84,354 in 16,442 households.
As part of the project, 140 mother facilitators and 60 male champions were trained on nutrition, health, sanitation and hygiene best practices. They then sensitized other members of their communities on the need to adopt the practices.
The project by world vision also served as an avenue to increase access to innovative nutritional supplements and promote household-level agriculture.
A total of 140 village-based entrepreneurs who were selected from 70 communities also received financial services and business training.
For the Improved Feeding Practices to be more effective, 1,050 farmer group members received agriculture inputs and training to help increase dietary diversity for household consumption.
Speaking to Citi News at Effiduase in the Sekyere East District of the Ashanti Region, where World Vision was bringing its four-year program to an end, the District Director of health, Dr. Justice Ofori Amoah noted that there has been a significant improvement in malnutrition-related cases following the intervention.
“The main objective of this project was to reduce malnutrition among children under five and also help pregnant women to have safe delivery in the district. With respect to malnutrition in the district for this period the project has been in existence, malnutrition has reduced drastically.”
“We have almost achieved the target as far as health is concerned. With agriculture, we have raised a lot of them birds, and we are growing pawpaw and sweet potato,” he stated.
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