Care groups and Cluster leader implementing a Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Project in Nkhotakota have been encouraged to make sure that households within their working area are adhering to nutrition, sanitation and hygiene messages.
Oxfam Program Officer for Nutrition, Chimwemwe Jemitale made the remarks Thursday when Oxfam in partnership with Catholic Health Commission (CHC) with funding from European Union (EU) presented bicycle to four health promoters at Chitsulo Village in Makhwazi Village Development Committee (VDC) in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Mwadzama.
She said households need to make use of nutrition, hygiene and sanitation messages and put them in practice in their homes adding that this could help to reduce malnutrition levels particularly stunting among under five children in their area.
Jemitale viewed that care groups and cluster leaders have a responsibility to ensure that households are being provided with vital information with regular visits in homes.
The Programs Officer said they have presented bicycles to the health promoters in their areas to help them to supervise and monitor nutrition programs at VDC level.
“We are aware that health promoters within our working area were facing mobility challenges in the implement of SUN project. The bicycles have been provided to them to enable work effectively and efficiently. We are hoping they will be able to access hard to reach areas,” she explained.
Village Headman, David said the project has helped the communities to ensure that basic things of the hone are made available.
“We are encouraging every household to have a kitchen, bathroom, toilet, vegetable garden, raising livestock’s, poultry and pit latrine for refuse disposal always. There are positives in having these basic things at a houses and family are busy doing their usual business and spending less visiting health facilities,” he pointed out.
The Village Headman appealed to other development partners to consider them in providing potable water in the area.
“We need adequate boreholes for us to continue adhering to hygiene practices and avoid the spread of waterborne diseases which come as a result of having to contaminated water sources,” David explained.
With the support of EU, Oxfam and CHC procured and distributed 134 bicycles to all 134 health promoters that are providing support to the care groups across Lilongwe, Salima, Dowa and Nkhotakota under the EU FIDP II SUN Project.
Chitsulo Village has a care group and one star circle servicing over 45 households within Zidyana Extension Programming Area (DEPA) in Nkhotakota. �����w
