US$150m secured for scaling up nutrition

THE National Food and Nutrition Commission (NFNC) has mobilised about US$150 million for the implementation of Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Phase II.

NFNC Deputy Director Freddie Mubanga said the money was from various donors who wish to see improved nutritional wellbeing of the women and children in the target group under the first 1000 Most Critical Days Programme, Phase II.

Speaking during the SUN Learning and Evaluation Midline Sensitisation meeting in Katete, Mr Mubanga said the money was a testament of the emphasis that government as well as donors placed on the nutritional wellbeing of children and women.

“If we don’t invest in these days then the future development of the nation will not be achieved,” he said. ZANIS reports that the MCDP II focuses on improving nutrition among children below the age of two and women in the child bearing age, mostly from 19 years to 49.

Meanwhile, the operations of the commission have now been placed under the office of the Vice President Mutale Nalumango to drive the will to improve the nutrition wellbeing in the targeted population.

“You may wish to know that the new dawn government places emphasis on nutrition and has made sure that the nutrition portfolio is housed under the Vice President’s Office,” Mr Mubanga said. He also urged the district to ensure that the nutrition indicators determined in the 2019 baseline survey are achieved.

“We should ask ourselves, have we made any progress towards the indicators determined in the survey? This is important in the sense that it will help us to determine our weaknesses and also how we will work on these weaknesses so that we accelerate action for the remaining years of phase II,” he said.

The SUN midline Survey which is a follow up to the 2019 Baseline Survey will be undertaken in 30 out of the 42 districts where the SUN Phase II project is being implemented and will run from May to June. – ZANIS.