Rédaction Africa Links 24 with lexpress
Published on 2024-03-28 02:40:00
A follow-up and evaluation meeting on nutrition took place at the Hôtel Carlton Anosy yesterday.
A staggering figure. More than two hundred and sixty-two thousand children under the age of five are severely malnourished in the Southern region of Madagascar, according to UNICEF’s assessment. Human capital plays an essential role. As part of a renewed commitment to nutrition in Madagascar, a National Monitoring and Evaluation Committee meeting was organized by the National Office of Nutrition (ONN) in collaboration with Jica/Pasan for the year 2024. The event took place at the Hôtel Carlton Anosy on March 26. The objectives are to confirm and consolidate the operationalization of the monitoring and evaluation system within the framework of the National Nutrition Plan, the National Multisectoral Action Plan for Nutrition, and the Monitoring and Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning Plan for Nutrition.
According to the 2021 Demographic and Health Survey, four out of ten children suffer from chronic malnutrition. Among one hundred children, six are victims of acute malnutrition. According to Professor Hanta Marie Danielle Vololontiana, the national coordinator of the ONN, “this rate is quite high and requires a lot of care. Chronic malnutrition affects regions with fertile soils such as Analamanga, Itasy, Vakinankaratra, Alaotra-Mangoro, Amoron’i Mania, Vatovavy, Fitovinany. Due to the Kere in the South, the rate of chronic malnutrition has increased in regions like Androy, Anosy, and Atsimo-Atsinanana. The National Office of Nutrition is implementing all strategies to eradicate and reduce the rate. It is observed that the rate has decreased since the ONN’s intervention.”
The general nutrition policy focuses mainly on the most vulnerable, namely infants, children under five, pregnant and lactating women. The ONN coordinator stated that the State’s general nutrition policy is based on multidisciplinary approaches. According to this policy, food sufficiency depends on education, health, social protection, water and sanitation, agriculture, livestock, and fisheries. If any of these aspects are lacking, there is always a risk of malnutrition. Children are taught, for example, to eat five fruits and vegetables a day, eat a variety of colorful foods. Sometimes, the situation prevents some families from eating properly. Mr. Ratovo, a father, testified that he only earns three thousand ariary per day. This is barely enough to cover the family’s daily expenses. He says he only eats twice a day, but sometimes his family and he only have one meal.
Mialisoa Ida
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