Slap D draws attention to the fight against malnutrition

Award winning Zambian Hip Hop star Mwila Musonda aka Slap D has called for increased attention to the fight against malnutrition in Zambia.

Slap D who is one of the Nutrition Champions adopted by the Zambia Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition Alliance said failure to address malnutrition amounts to denying children their right to life.

Over 40 percent of Zambian children below the age of five suffer from severe form of malnutrition resulting in stunting.

Slap D was speaking at a recent Nutrition Forum Breakfast meeting in Lusaka.

‘I stand before you today not as an expert on Nutrition but as a voice for a cause that affects many that are not being heard. Prior to interaction with the alliance I was unaware of the malnutrition crisis. However, after I was approached to lend voice to a nutrition campaign, and was more acquainted with the efforts of the CSOSUN to raise the profile of nutrition, the more I was sure of one thing, something must be done to end the problems of malnutrition in this country and more importantly, we all can play a role,’ Slap D remarked.

‘I have found that Malnutrition is complex, one can think of it as hidden hunger, which may occur even when people have enough to eat but do not receive adequate nutrition from that food. Most of us here may be unaware of hidden hunger, it is unfortunately a reality for many people in our country,’ he said.

Slap D said unhindered access to nutritious food, clean water, sanitation and healthcare, as well as good care practices for babies and small children, all help to prevent malnutrition.

He said scaling up and accelerating these interventions will prevent the risk of long-term health implications.

‘I must recognise however, that while this is a complex problem that affects many, it is encouraging to see the efforts of the CSOSUN making a marked difference, as well as renewed efforts by government and other stakeholders, as is clear from the representation at this event,’ he said.

‘I recently learnt of Chama and Mwansa, five year old identical twin boys, with their 18 year old mother. The toddlers barely look over a year old, day by day they look to their mother to rescue them from a hopeless situation, were their only reality is hunger every night.’

He added, ‘For them, the lack of good food is very personal. With a runaway father the family of three suffer through this ordeal and because the mother’s health is failing, she is unable to provide for them. The children are malnourished.’

Slap D continued, ‘Unfortunately, there’s many more who suffer the burden of hunger and consequently malnutrition, most especially children and women. This should not happen. We know how to stop these children from becoming malnourished in the first place and we have the means to do so. The failure to put Nutrition on important agendas be at National or Household level, in essence implies that we fail to give children like Chama and Mwansa and many more a future they deserve just as much as you and I.’