Gertrude explains care group activities to minister of health

12 December 2018, Lilongwe - Thirty seven year old mother of five, Gertrude Maulana is a proud member of Mdachi Care Group. She is also one of the care promoters, a role that allows her to support pregnant women and mothers of children under the age of five and adolescents with nutrition issues to ensure better health in their households.

Under Afikepo, the five-year European Union-funded nutrition programmes and with support of different departments of the Nkhotakota District Council, 239 care groups have been created under the programme with some restructured from existing groups. These care groups have been evidently instrumental in the district, empowering women of childbearing age, adolescent girls, and care givers of infant and young children so that they decide on what is needed to enhance their nutritional status and that of their children and to support them in addressing their needs.  Adolescent girls are also participating of the activities conducted by the Care Groups and benefiting from the information and key messages shared in relation with food security and nutrition.

“Through Mdachi care group, we teach nutrition to mothers of under-5 children and pregnant women,” says Getrude. “Not only that, we have various resources which we use to teach on hygiene and sanitation, breastfeeding, and we encourage growing of various nutritious vegetables to improve household diets. We also have a nursery growing seedlings to encourage members to grow fruits such as guavas, oranges and mangoes.”

Thanks to Afikepo activities, community members are getting involved in and taking ownership on addressing nutrition problems in their locations. On under five children, Gertrude confirms that care group members follow up on growth performance of under five children, keeping track of growth records.

“If we find children registering low weights, we work with the parents on a feeding programme for the child while monitoring weight. If we find that there is no improvement, we ensure that the child is taken to hospital for further assistance and support.”

When it comes to dietary diversity, members of Mdachi confirmed that they have moved beyond considering Nsima only as the staple and have included rice, dairy products, fruits and homemade juices as part of the diet, growing a variety of crops and keeping small livestock such as ducks and goats.

Gertrude says enthusiastically that the community is now aware of the six food groups and the different ways of combining and cooking foods to come up with healthy meals, which families enjoy.

About Afikepo

Afikepo, a five-year nutrition programme funded by the European Union, aims to enhance nutrition security in Malawi. Afikepo, which means “let them (the children) develop to their full potential” specifically seeks to address chronic undernutrition in Malawi, by resolving; lack of access to diversified foods in households; lack of knowledge on feeding and caring practices; social and cultural barriers that prevent uptake of good health, nutrition and WASH behaviors; and lack of real-time information systems which delay response to malnutrition.  The programme aims to enhance nutrition security in Malawi facilitating a multi-sectorial approach to accelerate stunting reduction, targeting under-5 children, pregnant women and adolescent girls.

Afikepo is designed to strategically contribute to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda with planned actions and results aimed at contributing to the progressive achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 2, 'End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture' in Malawi. 

The project is currently implemented in 10 districts of Chitipa, Karonga, Mzimba, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Kasungu, Salima, Chiradzulu, Thyolo and Mulanje by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development through the Department of Agriculture Extension Services (DAES) with technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).