Kabarole leaders grapple with malnutrition

What you need to know:

  • Ms Sarah Mujunasi, another mother of four children from Kichwamba Subcounty, said she has been struggling to improve the feeding of her children but all in vain.

Kabarole. Authorities in Kabarole District are grappling with rampant cases of malnutrition among children.
Mr Aggrey Gwaita, a nutritionist at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, said every Wednesday, the facility receives between 30 and 50 mothers with malnourished children below five years.

“Others come with babies below 2.5 kilogrammes and we have been advising them to feed their children on food that is rich in nutrients, but surprisingly some tell us that they do not have food,” Mr Gwaita said.
He attributed the main cause of malnutrition to poor feeding and diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/Aids.

Although the district is a food basket, leaders say most of its produce is transported to Kampala and other neighbouring districts.
The district chairperson, Mr Richard Rwabuhinga, told Daily Monitor in a recent interview that many families have abandoned traditional foods that are rich in nutrients and resorted to junk foods.
“As food ambassadors, our role is to engage the public to see that before you eat a meal, your table should have all food types such as dodo (greens) and beans, among others but the problem today is people have abandoned such foods,” Mr Rwabuhinga said.

The district produces food varieties such as bananas, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, soya beans, maize and beans among others.
According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef), nearly half of all deaths in children under five globally are attributed to undernutrition. This translates into loss of about three million young lives a year.

Ms Annet Kobugabe, 35, a mother, said she was distressed by the health of her twins who were constantly in and out of hospital before she was told they were malnourished.
“I have spent a lot of money treating my babies and all the doctors tell me is to feed them well on foods rich in nutrients,” she said.
Ms Sarah Mujunasi, another mother of four children from Kichwamba Subcounty, said she has been struggling to improve the feeding of her children but all in vain.