Championing male involvement in child health
Almost a year ago, the family of Dalitso and Tasiyana nearly got robbed of their third-born son, David.
The two-year-old’s Body Mass Index (BMI) hit an all-time low compared to children of his age.
To say the least, David was among under-five children in the community affected by malnutrition locally blamed on a lack of knowledge on food preparation.
“My child had a bloated stomach. The skin got dry and scaly. In addition, the baby's BMI got low as compared to his age,” narrates Dalitso while seated on a veranda enjoying the cold breeze of the sunset.
Ignited by the baby’s condition, the family was forced to rush to the nearest Health Centre where after a thorough examination, David was diagnosed with malnutrition.
“We were given ready-to-use therapeutic food locally known as Chiponde and further advised to prepare food that contains six food groups such as groundnut powder, soybeans, vegetables and banana to restore the health of David,” he says.
Dalitso followed all the advice keenly such that from the income he got after doing casual work, he says he could make sure that it sufficed the needs of his child.
Five months down the line into the practice, Dalitso narrates that his son’s physical appearance changed beyond everyone’s expectations.
“He tremendously gained weight and became more playful than before. When we visited the health center for postnatal care, David was declared malnutrition-free,” he says with a smile on his face.
Today, Dalitso champions the promotion of maternal and child health in his area in the context that he would not wish what happened to his child to happen to another soul in his area.
As such he says, twice in a week: “I visit households having under-five children and pregnant women to provide counseling on safe motherhood, excessive breastfeeding, and best feeding practices.
“…And for the past seven months, I have reached out to 22 households.”
His dedication to this quest influenced World Vision to crown him a male champion after having attended training on Timely Targeted Counseling, a component in the Maternal and Child Health project.
“The training was vital and it energized my spirit to take the messages even further,” he says.
Joseph, a promoter, commends Dalitso for his passion towards maternal and child health adding that the entire community considers him as a role model.
He then thanked World Vision for equipping them with skills which has so far yielded positive results in as far as reducing cases of maternal and neonatal deaths is concerned.