The Zambia Civil Society Organisation for Scaling up Nutrition Alliance (CSO-SUN) has called for concerted and concrete actions to tackling malnutrition in Zambia.
According to official statistics, about 45 percent of all Zambian children below five years are stunted.
CSO-SUN National Coordinator William Chilufya observed that malnutrition is a serious social and economic problem that needs to be tackled decisively.
Mr Chilufya was speaking at Katoba Primary School in Chongwe District during the Global Day of Action, a day when civil society across the globe speaks out together for improved nutrition.
The event was graced by Chongwe Member of Parliament Sylvia Masebo.
The Global Day of Action highlighting the power of coming together and making the case publicly for strong action by national and global leaders.
The Global Day of Action was a key part of ensuring such strong commitments made by leaders from around the globe at the Nutrition for Growth event held in London on 8th June 2013.
“Through this event, we want to bring attention to our leaders and households on the importance of nutrition so as to increase the public and political profile of nutrition in Zambia. We want to continue growing public pressure on national leaders to continue their focus on nutrition,” Mr Chilufya said.
He added, “To deliver commitments made in national plans and those made by our Vice President Guy Scott in London. We need to resolve malnutrition problem in Zambia because malnutrition in the most critical 1,000 years, from conception until two years is a serious challenge,” he said.
Mr Chilufya said investments in nutrition development could transform economies and boast Growth Domestic Product by as much as 3 to 11 percent.
“We believe as civil society that every woman and child have a chance to fair chance to life and all human being have a right to adequate and nutritious food and free from hunger,” he said.
He added, “Many children that survive ill effects of early childhood malnutrition results in poor cognitive development, decreased production and life expectancy because malnutrition affects the poorest the most, it is a fundamental driver of poverty and inequality.”
Mr Chilufya said malnutrition and its adverse impacts can be prevented through coordinated actions by government, civil society and businesses.
“The first step is ensuring that we all support national nutrition programmes. Without concerted and coordinated actions across government, progress against malnutrition will be insufficient.”
“We call upon our leaders at key ministries such as agriculture, education, Community Development take up their front role in implementing nutrition strategies and actions,” he said.
“A year ago Governments made further commitments to address this problem, fulfilling these will be inseparable to tackling malnutrition. We call on our leaders to prioritise fighting malnutrition and by ensuring financial commitments are in place to deliver on their promises,” Mr Chilufya said.
It is easy to tell. The shoe and clothes’ sizes of most Zambians are on the small to medium size. The only thing that grows on the Zambian’s body is the tummy. Look at Mukanga and Kambwili for example.
Growth of “only the tummy” is a clear sign of Malnutrition. Marasmus or Kwashiorkor.