At Kishuro, Isingiro district, Western Uganda.
CANADIAN Nutritionists in patarnership with Foundation for AIDS-orphaned Children (FAOC) have started a campaign for improving nutrition in villages to combat high levels of stuntedness in the region.
According to the 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS), at least 50% of children aged below five years in southwestern region are stunted.
The Canadian nutritionists on Thursday trained 41 widows against malnutrition at Kabale 1, Kishuro, Birere in Isingiro district. The Professor of Theriogenology in the Department of large animal clinical studies at Saskatchewan University, Dr. Claire E. Card (kneeling in the picture above) heads the partarnership between FOAC and Saskatchewan University in Canada.
Dr. Claire’s team of trainers included; Dr. Carol Henry, the professor of nutrition at the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, Odette Henry, a lawyer from Manu life Financial in Waterloo and Dr. Adil J. Nazarali, a professor and head of pharmacy.
Professor Carol Henry, a professor of nutrition at the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, urged the participants to always mix three to four types of food for a meal. “It’s sad to live in the region, which is the national food basket and become malnourished,” she said.
Dr. Carol urged the participants to learn from packed lunch provided, free-of-charge, by the management of Lake View Resort Hotel in Mbarara - as a demonstration meal.
“Always prepare a balanced meal like this; avoid frying food. Even eggs, always boil them but don’t fry them. Good nutrition and feeding on the nutritious goats’ milk help the consumers, especially the patients, to improve on their body immunity,” she said. She said they have plans with FAOC to sensitise people in other sub-counties about nutrition.
Dr. Adil J. Nazarali, a professor and head of pharmacy in Saskatchewan University and a Ugandan-born Canadian, said they want to pattern with Makerere University, as a multi-approach, and provide; nutrition skills, dairy-goat care, health care and educational needs.
He said that he toured a number of homesteads with Trisha Paulson, a student; and found out that many goat-farmers didn’t have gardens of grasses as feeds. He advised the residents to grow grass. He said goat-grass can even be stored during the dry spells.
The director of FAOC, Boaz Buyinza donated three dairy goats to three widows that have planted goat-grass as trained. He also handed over a kit of drugs from Canada to Florence Kakaire, the in-charge officer for Kikokwa health centre 3 in Birere sub-county.
Buyinza said the women they trained shall be listed and asked to publicly train other trainees on health days, and demonstrate what they have learnt about proper nutrition.
CANADIAN Nutritionists in patarnership with Foundation for AIDS-orphaned Children (FAOC) have started a campaign for improving nutrition in villages to combat high levels of stuntedness in the region.
According to the 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS), at least 50% of children aged below five years in southwestern region are stunted.
The Canadian nutritionists on Thursday trained 41 widows against malnutrition at Kabale 1, Kishuro, Birere in Isingiro district. The Professor of Theriogenology in the Department of large animal clinical studies at Saskatchewan University, Dr. Claire E. Card (kneeling in the picture above) heads the partarnership between FOAC and Saskatchewan University in Canada.
Dr. Claire’s team of trainers included; Dr. Carol Henry, the professor of nutrition at the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, Odette Henry, a lawyer from Manu life Financial in Waterloo and Dr. Adil J. Nazarali, a professor and head of pharmacy.
Professor Carol Henry, a professor of nutrition at the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, urged the participants to always mix three to four types of food for a meal. “It’s sad to live in the region, which is the national food basket and become malnourished,” she said.
Dr. Carol urged the participants to learn from packed lunch provided, free-of-charge, by the management of Lake View Resort Hotel in Mbarara - as a demonstration meal.
“Always prepare a balanced meal like this; avoid frying food. Even eggs, always boil them but don’t fry them. Good nutrition and feeding on the nutritious goats’ milk help the consumers, especially the patients, to improve on their body immunity,” she said. She said they have plans with FAOC to sensitise people in other sub-counties about nutrition.
Dr. Adil J. Nazarali, a professor and head of pharmacy in Saskatchewan University and a Ugandan-born Canadian, said they want to pattern with Makerere University, as a multi-approach, and provide; nutrition skills, dairy-goat care, health care and educational needs.
He said that he toured a number of homesteads with Trisha Paulson, a student; and found out that many goat-farmers didn’t have gardens of grasses as feeds. He advised the residents to grow grass. He said goat-grass can even be stored during the dry spells.
The director of FAOC, Boaz Buyinza donated three dairy goats to three widows that have planted goat-grass as trained. He also handed over a kit of drugs from Canada to Florence Kakaire, the in-charge officer for Kikokwa health centre 3 in Birere sub-county.
Buyinza said the women they trained shall be listed and asked to publicly train other trainees on health days, and demonstrate what they have learnt about proper nutrition.
Buyinza said the Canadian partnership is helping FAOC to train cotact farmers among the beneficiaries. The main goat and pig pass on project that covers six parishes of Birere sub-county, is funded by Mcknight Foundation, the U.S.A-based organisation.
The chairperson for the 56-member Kigyendwa widows and orphans association, Sarafina Katumusiime said they have enough food but they lacked knowledge of mixing them to a balanced meal.
“We’ve been cooking only one type of a meal, matooke everyday. But now that we have known how to balance food varieties, we shall start eating a balanced diet,” she said.
She said that some women have a habit of giving the best foods to their husbands and forget their children! “We are also going to coordinate with all women and start exchanging seeds and crops with those who don’t have them,” she said
“Besides, we should apportion our time and have enough time for digging and enough time for preparing our meals. We shall also stop selling all the crops we grow. We will always keep a surplus for family consumption,” she said.
Katumusiime said that with FAOC’s assistance, their association, which commenced in 2002, is looking after 101 orphans; and through their ‘send-a-goat’ revolving system, members have over 500 goats for meat.
She said that now FAOC has given the association six she-goats (nanny) and two he-goats (billy) for milk. “Fortunately, there are twelve goat-doctors in Birere, two of which were trained by FAOC and gave them the kits to look after these goats,” she said.
Katumusiime, who said they trim the nails of the goats, said they are planting grass for goats in their banana plantations to eliminate the shortage of feeds. She said their widows’ association has the funds to cater for this.
“We have a revolving fund of sh2m. We also have another sh2m scheme whereby we give out mattress to our members at a profit of sh100,000,” she disclosed.
She added that by mid next year (2009), when their goats have multiplied, her association plans to give out 60 goats to 30 people who are non-members of her group.
Katumusiime said they want to start building goat-pens for the members in her association - beginning with November 2008 - but each member shall contribute sh2,000 as a commitment fee.
The area LC3 councilor for Birere, Geoffrey Lwanga said the leaders of Birere will cooperate and coordinate with the residents about modern ways of rearing dairy-goats.
• Ends.
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1 comment:
Dear Mr. Bifubyeeka,
I found this, your well researched article informative, uptodate and interesting to read! Like I told you before, my CBO and I have interest in health isues of mothers and children! I am certain that you will soon have time to visit Kagongi sub-county where we operate.
Dr. James Mugume MA,
Chairman/Executive Director
Community Initiatives for Mother
Child Health (COIN-UGANDA)
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