YOLIDA on campaign to address Malnutrition in Bunyangabu and Kabarole

Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | The Young and Older Persons Integrated Development Program in Africa (YOLIDA) is embarking on improving the nutrition status of children and mothers through conducting nutrition counselling and education as well as food demonstrations in Bunyangabu and Kabarole Districts.

This followed a number of nutrition outreaches that YOLIDA has conducted in these districts since 2016 as one of its core activities on promotion of Integrated Health Services, in which it was discovered that people were very ignorant about nutrition, contributing to their vulnerability to numerous diseases and stunted growth among children.

While in an interview with YOLIDA Program Manager, Mr. Gabriel Magezi, he stressed that people in Bunyangabu and Kabarole districts were faced with the problem of malnutrition despite the districts being a food basket for the country.

“People have the food but they need to be educated on how to use it. We identify a region which has nutrition issues and with the help of local leaders, we advertise the food demonstration activities. People gather and through our guidance, they participate in cooking and mixing the locally available foods to produce a well composed paste with all the food values. The food is cooked and eaten in the field,” he said.

Mr. Magezi added that the program team works hand in hand with nurses at the health centers in the districts to administer and supplement foods with nutrients that are medically composed. Patients with an extremely malnutrition status are also referred to the health centers for clinical based services.

Follow up activities are conducted to ensure that the referred clients are given the required treatment by the health centers and to monitor the changes in attitudes of people about nutrition. These are conducted through home visits, phone calls and examining the improvement in people’s nutrition status when they visit YOLIDA for immunization.

YOLIDA is an indigenous Non-profit Organization which aims at enhancing health care systems, improving nutrition and advocating for the Welfare of children, youths and older persons in Uganda, for their well-being to achieve a happy and long life.

During the nutrition outreaches, the NGO also conducts children’s growth measurement and immunization, which as well runs on the first Friday of every month.

It is remembered that in 2016, 5 nutrition counseling sessions were organized at YOLIDA outreach station for 117 mothers who brought their children for routine immunization. 1 nutrition follow-up was conducted to monitor 20 severely malnourished children in Kahondo, Lyamabwa and Nyabuhuka villages, who had been referred to Kibiito Health Centre III for management.

Scaled up nutrition counseling and education coupled with nutritional supplements of RUTFA and local foods at community level resulted into demonstrable improvement in the nutrition status of children who initially suffered from severe malnutrition.  Mothers were able to select nutritious local foods and prepare them well for their children, which significantly reduced malnutrition in the target villages.