7/30/2019 importance of nutrition in Malawi

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We all want to live a healthy life. We want our children to live a happy andactive life, free of sickness and grow up to be successful people who willcontribute to the development of their communities.

Sadly, this is not the case of most families in Malawi where it is estimated

that close to 250,000 children below the age of five are acutelymalnourished. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world andmalnutrition is one of the leading causes of poor health in children andadults as well.

It is a very big challenge for individuals to access all the required nutrientsas this is expensive and not all food products produced in Malawi have theneeded nutrients for a healthy life.

As a result, most children grow up with a lot of deficiencies and the healthcare system in the country makes it hard for every individual to accessthese nutrients. Throughout my school and career, I have been passionateabout development issues and helping poor and marginalized people getout of poverty and live a healthy life.

Having worked with poor communities in Malawi, I have come to realisethe importance of good health in all aspects of development. I have seenwith my own eyes, children who look frail, ill, and too small for their agesstruggle to answer even the simplest questions.

I have seen the devastations that malnutrition has caused in their lives

and as an individual who cares about my heath and the health of mycommunity; I believe advocating for better health policies wouldultimately improve the public health care in Malawi.

Ensuring that children have all the necessary nutrients growing up willhelp prevent deficiencies’ like anaemia, night blindness, stunted growthand mental development in the children that I have seen.

 To promote good health, Food fortification is one area which the MalawianGovernment needs to successfully implement to have a healthiergeneration. Having seen the successes of fortifying iodine in salt, I believe

that this is the most efficient, fair, and cost-effective way to have ahealthier generation in Malawi. Simple products like sugar, salt or LikuniPhala would make such a huge difference in the growth of children if fortified with nutrients.

With proper monitoring tools, adequate information and enoughresources, food fortification in Malawi could improve the nutritional statusof children and adults in the country. Nutritional supplementationamongst others will ultimately help to reduce Child mortality as stated inthe Millennium Development Goal number 4.

7/30/2019 importance of nutrition in Malawi

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It is therefore crucial for the Malawi Government to work with all sectorsincluding the industrial trade to ensure that food fortification is a mandatefor all industries in the country to improve the nutritional quality of dietsthat is sustainable and efficient.