SEND Ghana has succeeded in deworming hundreds of children less than five years in some selected districts of the Eastern Corridor in the Northern Region.
This has contributed to the reduction of malnutrition which was hampering child growth in the identified communities.
In collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, the organization continues to train health and nutrition volunteers from 16 communities on how to fortify and use soyabean for different dishes to enhance food security.
The project is funded by the Global Affairs Canada as a component of SEND Ghana’s Food Security through Cooperative in Northern Ghana (FOSTERING) project.
SEND Ghana’s Director of Livelihood, Raymond Avatim in a Citi News interview explained, “The Nutrition component of the FOSTERING project is supporting the targeted communities to address issues of malnutrition especially among children under 5 and pregnant women in the Eastern Corridor.”
“The approach is to train women and men in these communities on soya bean utilization and fortification and inculcate in them the practice of deworming their under 5 children. The community Health Nutrition Agents (CHNAs) are the selected persons from the various cooperatives within each community to lead in all nutrition related trainings/activities for their cooperatives,” he stated.
Raymond Avatim anticipated that the deworming exercise will continue to improve the health status of children who are considered as the vulnerable group in the targeted communities.
“Since children are the core parts of their parents and the future leaders, their health solely determines how productive their parents will be in other to reduce poverty and attain food security.”
“The FOSTERING project intends to put smiles on the faces of the members of the Family Based Farmer Cooperatives (FBFC) most especially their children and hopefully this will be achieved through this exercise,” he stressed.
The Zabzugu District Disease Control Officer of the Ghana Health Service commended SEND Ghana for the initiative.
He revealed that due to lack of funding and inadequate drugs, the Ghana Health Service failed to mandatorily accomplish the deworming exercise for the year 2015.
This situation, according to Saaka Shaibu created a major setback in health delivery.
Some of the beneficiaries thanked SEND Ghana for the initiative and pledged their support to ensure its sustainability.
FOSTERING is an up scaled programme being implemented in Tatale-Sangule, Nanumba South, Chereponi, Zabzugu and Krachi-Nchumuru.
The project is expected to increase sustainable, gender equitable food security for over 42,000 women and men in 5,400 households within 116 communities in 8 districts.
With the inclusion of family members, the project will reach over 331,800 individuals.
–
By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana