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Child Nutrition in Niassa

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The world has committed to the  17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Goal no. 2 focusses on ending hunger, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture.

In 2016, the Diocese of Niassa significantly expanded its mission work in two main areas: nutrition education, focusing on a child’s first 1,000 days and community savings & loans groups. Nutrition education aims to address this SDG No. 2.

Nutrition during pregnancy and during a child’s first two years affects life-long health and intellectual development. Many of the consequences of malnutrition during this window of time are irreversible.IMG_0855 IMG_0861

The Diocese of Niassa is teaching parents how they can feed their young children well with the products that are locally available. Many, many mothers note a difference in their children’s health within weeks or months after starting to implement better feeding practices.

Antonio Julio is 2 years old, and lives with his mother in Mapudje. In the past, he refused to eat anything and only wanted to breastfeed. His mother had even taken him to the hospital, but they hadn’t been able to help. But the day that we practiced making enriched porridge, his mother tried to give him some. He not only kept eating, but he grabbed the spoon from his mother to eat by himself. Now his mother makes enriched porridge for him every day—and the rest of the family enjoys it, too.

It’s fantastic to hear about more and more of these groups emerging through Niassa’s extensive Community Development programme ‘Equipas da Vida’.