RURAL MOTHERS AT THE PEAK OF ENDING MALNUTRITION AMIDST COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

‘I can now feed my children amidst this covid-19 pandemic” a one Mbambu Elizabeth narrates. During one of our monitoring visits to the beneficiaries, Elizabeth, a mother of two was carrying out her street business in Kalere town,Kisinga sub county before the outbreak of Covid-19 in Uganda (March 2020).

Her husband,a bodaboda rider never actively involved her in the homeaffairs most especially family welfaresince she is a second wife.Being a breastfeeding mother at the moment of the total lockdown, her and her children faced a lot of nutritional challenges since then.

‘’I lacked knowledge on what best I should feed my children on since all I had in the house wascassava flour and maize flour(Posho) because its readily available for me to feed on. Despite my son getting sickly with a very poor health, I still maintained my old friends’ tales that children can adjust to any conditions and whatever situation you introduce them to. Nevertheless, I also believed that men are family superiors and their role is to make youpregnantand the rest women know better. ’’ Elizabeth narrates.

 Unfortunately, after imposing the total lockdown, her husband could no longer afford anything to support the family since it was something unprepared for. Amidst all the struggles on how to feed and survive the new normal of the standard operating procedures, many children Elizabeth’s son not spared,suffered malnutrition challenges due to poor feeding among other challenges. It was at that time, that Anasi Farmers Association with support from Foundation for Community Development and Empowerment was already mapping and selecting beneficiaries of their nutritional project with guidance of village health teams and local health centre nutritionists, an idea she warmly welcomed and fully participated in.

Ending malnutrition among rural households is a project implemented by Anasi Farmers under the FCDE LPO small grants program in Kiburara, Kisinga sub county towards empowering women on best feeding practices among young children below five years,training on organic vegetable farming and post-harvest management of vegetables towards ending malnutrition.

While attached to a set of new friends, continuous visitations by the Anasi team and the nutritionistas well as giving her back to back information on proper dieting and feeding especially of children below 5 years, Elizabeth’s son Clovis has greatly improved health-wise and his immunity improved.Eliza’s new friend Biira Moreen already had dodo, and egg plants and pumpkin plants which she freely offered to her to feed her son Clovis whereas her other friend Jane often gave her passion fruits for juice to give her son.

Today Elizabeth is a happy mother and the seeds she received from Anasi Farmers for Cabbages and Carrots are already growing too fast in the second month of their growth and will be harvested in their third month enabling her to continuously support her children’s health and immunity.

She today wants to join our team of Village Nutritional Ambassadors (VNAs)to inspire, educate and support other women in communities who have lost hope yet lack information on what to  do and how to do it to support in transforming communities. Muthegheki Rogers and Biira Ritah, Anasi Programs Coordinator and Executive Director respectively are always monitoring her and other women who have fallen victims of the sort on how to manage situations and also be an inspiration to others. They have told them to spread the nutritional information beyond boarders since information is power.