Every child's life counts
By Agness John, Communication Officer ENRICH Project
Every second a child wasted, stunted and even die of different forms of malnutrition. In Shinyanga region stunting rate is 28%, wasting rate is 3.3%, underweight rate is 12.3% and anemic rate is 71% (Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey and Malaria Indicator Survey 2015-16), which according to WHO standards this is a public health concern.
This happens due to various reasons including parent not using family planning method, poor knowledge on proper nutrition, poor feeding practices, poor health seeking behavior and cultural believes that a mother should stop breastfeeding after being pregnant. 2 years old Makilida a daughter of Ngele and Leya is among many children facing different forms of malnutrition.
Leya Shimbi(28) is married to Ngele Paulo (30) together they have five children Rahabu, Edward, Gaudensia, Makilida and Irene. They live in her mother in-law compound in the house building by mud clay but covered with metal in Manyada village of Shinyanga district at Shinyanga region. They lives 21Kilometers from health facility though nurses do conduct outreach clinic once a month.
“Makilida identified as malnourished during Anna Saluu, a Community Health Worker (CHW) visit to our home. She was very weak and not even able to walk. She gave us referral and it’s when I take her to Usanda dispensary for check-up and for further advice.” Said Leya Shimbi.
Ngele and Leya is peasant, farming rice and maize. Their nutrition life is good during the harvesting season but during dry season it is always hard to access the food and especially nutritious food.
Poor birth control, poor consumption of nutritious food, distance from home to health facility as well as husband refusal to use family planning has been a great challenge to Leya.
"My husband refuses to apply health timing and spacing of pregnancies contributed to our daughter malnourishment" Explained Leya. "These results on early pregnancy conceive when Makilida was just six month. The pregnancy accompanied by regular fever which results on note taking a proper care of Makilida. Also at that time the food was hard to be found due to poor harvesting."
With the constant counseling to my husband from CHW he later on accepts the application of health timing and spacing of pregnancies. As explained by Anna Saluu, Manyada village Community Health Worker (CHW). "Knowing that Makilida is malnourished I had to give her referral to Usanda dispensary while conducting regular house hold visit counseling her parents on the application of health timing and spacing of pregnancies. After accepting the fact that her daughter might have been health with pregnancy spacing she accepts application of it.”
Makilida weight is increasing gradually. Her mother has now start applying health timing and spacing of pregnancies, after her husband allowing her as the result of counseling from CHW. While identified, Makilida was weighing 7kilogram on 1year7month old. Now on her 1year11month she is weighing 10.5kilogram.
“Makilida weight increased, slowly recovering from severe malnourishment. She was not able even to walk but now she is slowly learning to walk and talk. Together with my wife we have learnt on proper feeding practices, cooking and feeding of nutritious food, farming of Vitamin A, Orange Sweet Potatoes and personal and home hygiene. This helps on improvement of Makilida(malnourished daughter) health and all of my other children's health.” Ngele Paulo, Makilida’s father.
Community at large has been capacitated on taking care of children, positive parenting, proper feeding practices, OFSP production and consumption as well as sanitation and hygiene. Also receiving of great services from health facilities and availability of micro nutrients powders.