Julia Kamarenga
The Omaheke malnutrition technical committee last week reported a significant drop in the number of malnutrition admission cases and deaths. In the first quarter of 2022, the region reported 86 cases admitted at the state hospital and 17 deaths.
The alarming figures led to the establishment of a working committee comprising various stakeholders who worked around the clock to ensure that the vulnerable people in the community are provided with food and medical services that they may need to curb cases of malnutrition.
By July, cases at the Gobabis state hospital had dropped to four patients admitted for malnutrition and two deaths.
Malnutrition, a condition that develops when the body is deprived of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ functions, does not only occur in people who may have too few nutrients but in those having too many hence the terms, over and under nourished.
The working committee ensured a revival of dormant soup kitchens to help feeding children whose parents are not able to provide meals and mostly to feed those discharged from the hospital.
The soup kitchens are equipped with health extension workers who are assigned there to monitor progress in the recovery of children discharged from the hospital and referred to soup kitchens for feeding.
There are, however, challenges especially because the kitchens have limited mandate of who to provide meals to. That makes it difficult for breastfeeding mothers who can’t get a regular meal, thus making it difficult to continue breastfeeding and ensuring that the children are well fed after being discharged.
According to Cynthia Muna, a social worker at the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, poverty has taken a toll on the community to an extent that some breastfeeding mothers resort to feeding their babies with just water or sweet aid which eventually drains the child and worsens conditions.
She urges community members to use available channels to convey information to her office and other relevant offices of any such cases, especially where the child is on the verge of death due to hunger or malnutrition. The region managed to reduce the deaths albeit with limited resources but needs help. There is a need for food items that will enable soup kitchens to provide a meal or two to breastfeeding mothers so that they will be able to produce milk for their babies.
In recent years, the World Health Organisation and World Food Programme visited the region to familiarise themselves with the situation and come up with lasting solutions to the problem.
The World Food Programme then forged efforts by bringing smallholder farmers through the Agri-Food ConfEx as a stepping-stone to alleviating household food insecurity and ensuring market access for self-sustainability
The World Food Programme collaborated with the Omaheke Regional Council to support the implementation of the integrated community-based food system projects in the region to intensify the production of quality nutritious food, as well as supporting the piloting of the homegrown school-feeding programme in the region and soup kitchens that are feeding vulnerable children under five years
Currently, the Epako, Tuerijandjera and another soup kitchen in Canaan are feeding over 300 children.