The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received a US$2 million contribution from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support more than 2,000 vulnerable families in three urban areas over the next year. By Staff Reporter Under the initiative, WFP and partners will create community assets and develop vulnerable families’ skills to boost livelihood opportunities. Communities will benefit from communal assets such as greenhouses and income-generation activities. As part of the activities, WFP will provide internal savings and lending (ISAL) training to boost financial literacy among…
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Urban Household Food Insecurity Declines In Zimbabwe
A cocktail of measures and strategies being implemented in Zimbabwe have resulted in positive outcomes to the urban households’ food security situation, the latest Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZIMVAC) survey has projected. By Staff Reporter According to the survey, food insecurity levels for urban areas are projected to have significantly decreased from 42 percent reported in 2020 to 29 percent in 2023. Midlands (40 percent) had the highest proportion of households projected to be food insecure. Matabeleland South (22 percent) and Mashonaland Central (25 percent) had the least proportion of…
Read MoreOver 4 000 Malnourished Zim children Admitted In Hospital
INCREASING poverty levels coupled with shortages of Ready To Use Therapeutic Foods (RTUFs) like ‘Plumpy-Nut,’ has resulted in 4 300 children being admitted in hospital for wasting, a scenario which threatens to derail the gains made in reducing wasting amongst children under five years. By Kuda Pembere The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes wasting as acute malnutrition. It is a sign that a child has experienced short periods of undernutrition, resulting in significant wastage of muscle and fat tissue. This means their weight is very low for their height. In…
Read MoreExclusive breastfeeding in Zimbabwe improves
EXCLUSIVE breastfeeding of children in the country has improved since 2020 when it was less than 50 percent to about 80 percent this year, a Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZIMVAC) 2023 Urban Livelihoods Assessment Report notes. By Kuda Pembere The 10th annual ZIMVAC Urban Livelihoods Assessment Report was presented before the Cabinet by Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Gen. (Rtd) Dr Constantino Chiwenga who is the Chairperson of the Cabinet Committee on Food Security and Nutrition. Pertaining to Child Nutrition, a cocktail of strategies and measures…
Read MoreStunting, Wasting and Overweight drops in Zim
ZIMBABWE has been doing relatively well in improving the nutrition for children under five years over the past ten years as it reduced the stunting prevalence to 21.6 percent in 2022 from 31.1 percent in 2012, a joint United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and World Bank report shows. By Kuda Pembere For stunting Zimbabwe is in the high threshold. As for overweight, in 2012, the southern African country had a prevalence of 4.6 percent decreasing it to 2.7 percent in 2022 with a low threshold. The prevalence rate for wasting…
Read MoreInsect Porridge to Enhance Children Nutrition in Africa
By Bird Story Agency – Learnmore Nyoni January winds blow through mopane forests of Gwanda district in Zimbabwe’s Matebeleland South province. Silibaziso Dube buckles up her waist wrap as she kneels down to blow life to the dying flames at a makeshift fireplace where a large tin of water sits precariously on two rocks. Tswaranang Mashonja Community Group members have gathered to taste a new mopane worm based instant porridge developed by the Insects4Nutrition research team. Dr Lesley Macheka is the Director for Innovation and Industrialisation at Marondera University of…
Read MoreInternational Year of Millets: a global opportunity to direct policy attention to the nutritional and health benefits of millets
By Patrice Talla – FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and FAO Representative in Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Lesotho. This year we are celebrating the International Year of Millets. The year was endorsed by Members of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its Governing Bodies and declared at the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in March 2021. FAO is the Agency taking the lead in celebrating this year. The focus on Millets could not be timelier. They offer valuable solutions in the face of…
Read MoreUSAID, Mercy Corps Announce USD3 million Food Security Project For Zim
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under its ELEVATE project has availed US$3 million to alleviate food insecurity in Makoni, Mutasa and Mutoko districts. By Kuda Pembere The project to be implemented by Mercy Corps, a humanitarian organisation will run for a year targeting 27 844 food insecure households. “ELEVATE focuses on improving the immediate and long-term access and availability of food for vulnerable communities, helping communities cope, adapt, and thrive in the face of shocks and stresses. The project builds on decades of work between USAID and…
Read MoreExperts call for clampdowns on exploitative formula milk marketing in new Lancet series
The formula milk industry’s marketing tactics are exploitative and urgent clampdowns are needed to tackle misleading claims and political interference, according to a new three-paper series published in The Lancet today. Industry influence – which includes lobbying against vital breastfeeding support measures – seriously jeopardizes the health and rights of women and children, the papers show. “This new research highlights the vast economic and political power of the big formula milk companies, as well as serious public policy failures that prevent millions of women from breastfeeding their children,” said Professor…
Read MoreNestlé Recipes for your family
Today’s generation has grown up in restaurants and fast-food canteens and the tradition of cooking healthy nutritious meals together slowly starts to disappear. Although the fast-food route might seem convenient, it comes at a price. Restaurant meals and fast foods are usually high in saturated fats, salt and artery clogging-cholesterol. But you can spare yourself from all these with smart home cooking habits and recipes. Preparing and eating meals at home is a better choice for many reasons. Several studies have shown that people who cook more often, instead of…
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