The challenge according to the local health authorities emanates from the knowledge gap on healthy and effective nutrition.
Ayesiga aged two and four months was brought to the grand mother Grace Kokureta aged 52 resident of Rwakijuma village in Kikagate sub-county after being abandoned by the mother at the age of six months.
During the community screening under UNICEF and UK Government supported initiative dubbed MUAC ( Mid- Upper Arm Circumference), Ayesiga was tested positive to severe malnutrition and efforts to rehabilitate him started
The strict adherence of the grand mother to the feeding precautions provided by the medics led to the recovery of Ayesiga from the health threat.
During a media tour to assess nutrition interventions in Ankole and Toro sub-regions facilitated by UNICEF, Ayesiga is one of the successful stories celebrated after beating malnutrition.
However many other children are yet lucky to overcome the threat with a number of others facing the risk of wasting.
“My son is now healthy and you can see by yourselves is playing,” Kokureta said.
According to the statistics, the prevalence of malnutrition in Isingiro district is far beyond the Ankole region average with 27% of children under five, stunted majorly due to malnutrition.
Ankole region, according to the recently published report by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) and UNICEF, 3% of children are stunted mainly due to malnutrition.
Cathy Ntabadde, a senior communications specialist at UNICEF, believes that continuous engagements and educating communities will perhaps address the matter.
“UNICEF with funding from the UK government is implementing a number of nutrition interventions that are aimed at preventing death as a result of malnutrition, especially among children bellow 5 years. Our work is targeting refugees,children and hosting communities.” Ntabadde added.
She said that the interventions they are undertaking jointly with district leadership, health centre III, and IVs , the regional referral hospitals, together with the communities.
She added that in these interventions, when a child is malnutrition, they are informed of what they’re supposed to do.
Ntabadde further noted that “When a child is experiencing severe malnutrition, sometimes with or without any other health complications, they have to immediately refer this child to a health facility. And of course, when a child is severely malnourished with a number of medical complications, this child has to be referred to a regional referral hospital, so our work thta is funded by UK government is in Isingiro, Kikuube, Kyegegwa and Mbarara.”
“One of the other approaches that we are strengthening or pushing through the communities is the initiative that was initiated by the ministry of health that’s ‘the family-led Muac.” Alex Mukori, UNICEF Nutrition specialist added
Family MUAC is a tape that communities have been told to use to assess the malnutrition status of their children. Previously, this tape would only be used in health facilities and administered by either a nurse, a nutritionist or a health practitioner, but with the trainings and sensitizations by the VHTs the district health officials within the households, families are now able to assess the nutrition trends of Children, Each of the households has been provided with this tape, and they’re able to read the child is moving into yellow, or the child is moving into red.”
Family MUAC’ approach
In the ‘Family MUAC’ approach, mothers, fathers and other caregivers are trained to identify wasting in their children using a mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) tape.
This approach was developed with the objective of increasing the frequency and coverage of screening for wasting and ultimately detecting more children with wasting for early referral. Furthermore, this approach has the potential to alleviate the workload on community workers by task-sharing screening with caregivers.
Other interventions put in place.
Isingiro District has develop a food quality ordinance to ensure production of quality and hygieneic food to address the malnutrion challenge.
According to monthly published report by Isingiro district a total of 1432 mulnurished children were registered between January to October 2024.
Marion Alowo assistant dustrict health officer Isingiro district said that the stunting levels now stands at 30% which forced the district to develop an ordinance which is yet to be approved.
“We have established demonstration gardens in the communities to sensitize the households on the type of foodstuffs they are suppossed to feed their babies.” She noted.
Kabugho Doreec a clinical officer and an assistant incharge Kikagati Health Center III emphasized that the sensitization campaigns will seen the numbers dropping significantly.
Call for other interventions.
Authorities in Isingiro district propose that the government should condisider allocating land for refugees to carry out agriculture and improve food security rather than giving out cash handouts.
Isingiro District Nutritionist Dalton Babukiika said, previously government, together with the World Food programme, would deliver food to the camps, but refugees would sell it off to earn sum money.
This compelled the change in program with cash handouts being given out, but authorities note that this is counterproductive with many of the refugees opting to drink alcohol other than stocking foods.
