Advancing nutrition in Ksm takes multi-sectorial advocacy approach
By Dickson Odhiambo
December 10, 2022
Advancing nutrition
in Ksm takes multi-sectorial advocacy approach
The process of advancing nutrition issues in Kisumu County has
now taken a multi-sectorial advocacy approach.
Kisumu County Nutrition Coordinator Rael Mwando says various
departments at the County Government of Kisumu are now involved in the issue of
advancing nutrition in the County so as to ensure the region is malnutrition
free.
During a two day Multi-sectorial Nutrition Advancing
Training for Journalists, Bloggers and Social Media influencers held in Kisumu
to sensitize them on their roles, the nutrition situation and enabling policy
environment in the county, the Kisumu County Nutrition Coordinator Rael Mwando
said Kisumu Governor Prof Peter Anyang Nyong’o has a manifesto aim at
mainstreaming nutrition to ensure that the county is malnutrition free.
Mwando says Kisumu Governor has already launched the Kisumu
County Nutrition Action {CNAP} that will guide the implementation of programs
targeting to advance nutrition with an aim of achieving malnutrition free
County.
Mwando says already the County Government of Kisumu in
Partnership with the United States Agency for International Development {USAID}
in a project known as Advancing Nutrition has trained 45 nutrition champions
within Kisumu County to help in spearheading nutrition issues in various parts
of the county.
The County Nutrition Coordinator says already there is an
established breastfeeding center at the Kibuye open Air Market in Kisumu where
traders who have babies can rest while breastfeeding them.
Director of Budget at the County Government of Kisumu
Thaddeus Ouko says this financial year, funds have been allocated to various
departments to specifically champion for nutrition programs, adding that some
of the departments include health, Education and Agriculture.
He says the County Government of Kisumu considers including
nutrition fully in the third County Integrated Development Plan {CIDP} that is
being developed.
The County Technical Coordinator USAID Advancing Nutrition
in Kisumu Rodgers Onyango says the project has trained 45 Nutrition Champions
in Kisumu County with an aim of spearheading issues of nutrition at the grass
root level in the various sub counties in Kisumu.
A nutrition champion is an individual who uses his or her
platform and influence to position nutrition as a key priority at Global, regional,
national and local level, their main role is to contribute and raise awareness,
change negative attitude and behavior related to nutrition and help foster
collaboration among actors that foster good nutrition.
The various Departments at the County Government of Kisumu
that includes Agriculture, Social Protection, Water, Education and health are implementing
a multi-sectorial approach to nutrition and a coordination mechanism to steer
it has been established where joint work plans among departments developed with
an overall goal of realizing a malnutrition free Kisumu County.
According to statistics from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics
2014, under-five stunting rate is 18.4 percent and in Kisumu County, three out
of ten children under five years are stunted.
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Multisectorial Nutrition Approach is the way to go. Thanks to the stakeholders & partnerships for the approach of involving the media as champions in Nutrition Advocacy & Champion.
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