On a recent trip to Kenya, I was fortunate to meet several women who are, in their own ways, combating the urgent yet often hidden problem of malnutrition, and I was reminded once again of the power women have to truly change the world. With support from individuals, partners, and the government, these women are helping their children grow and thrive, creating healthier futures for their families and communities, and nourishing the next generation.
Anna, one of the loveliest women I have ever met, is a perfect example. I met Anna at the Namanga Health Clinic, a health facility in a border town in southern Kenya. With the help of Gladys, an outspoken community health worker whose English far exceeds my Swahili, Anna told me that at 26 years old, she has six children, the youngest of which – Lamayan – is just 9 months old.
Anna spends her days in the local market, selling traditional Massai beaded necklaces. While we are only a short 30 miles from Amboseli National Park, she tells me there isn’t much tourism in the area, making it difficult to sell enough necklaces to earn the 200 Kenyan Shillings she needs every day to buy food like Unga (Ugali flour), Mchele (rice), and Ndizi (bananas). It is normal for Anna and her family to eat a simple meal of porridge in the morning and rice in the evening.
Anna’s situation is common for many families living in Kenya. While Kenya is known for its vibrant culture, environment, and economy, it is also challenged by food insecurity. Drought, escalating food prices, and conflict in neighboring countries have brought hunger and malnutrition to more than 2.4 million people. And though malnutrition is a country-wide problem, the impact of malnutrition is greatest on women and children during the critical 1,000 day window from a woman’s pregnancy to a child’s second year of life – the most important time for a child’s growth and development. As a result, Kenyan children have alarmingly high rates of Vitamin A deficiency and anemia, leading to increased rates of blindness, illness, and even death from common childhood infections.
But all of this is on the verge of change.
The day I met with Anna, she was attending a mother’s support group at the health center. After bringing her son to the clinic for his monthly weight and height exam, Anna received a month’s worth of home nutrition packets – enough to add the essential vitamins and minerals Lamayan needs to his food three times a week. These packets are a simple, cost-effective way to prevent malnutrition in the critical first 1,000 days of a child’s life, enabling moms to add the missing nutrients to the local foods they prepare in the home. Over the past year the Future Fortified campaign has worked with people and partners such as Herbalife and DSM to raise funds to deliver packets to 20,000 children in Kenya.
Rather than going back to the market as the meeting ended, Anna invited me to her home, a single story structure made of mud and clay with a tin roof. I was curious as to whether Anna found the nutrition packets odd or difficult to use. Indeed, it is a new behavior to sprinkle something on your baby’s food. But Anna did not hesitate in saying it was simple. And with support from Gladys, the community health worker, she understands why it is so important for Lamayan to give him the nutrients he needs to grow healthy and strong.
I heard this over and over again how easy the packets are easy to use. And with weekly support groups organized at the health clinic, mothers like Anna are getting information on how best to care for their children, including the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and adding healthy, nutritious foods and essential nutrients from six months on.
This project in Namanga is just beginning – in the coming months we will hear more from Anna and mothers like her in the Kajiado District of southern Kenya who are beginning to use the home nutrition packets. I have no doubt they will continue to use them, because like mothers everywhere, Anna shared that her biggest hope for her children is that they grow healthy and have the opportunity to learn.
We know good nutrition is fundamental in helping children live, grow, and learn, yet millions of women and children in countries around the world do not have access to the essential vitamins and minerals they need to thrive. This is unacceptable when simple, long-lasting solutions like home nutrition packets exist. I hope others will join us in turning up the volume on this important issue and help us improve access to good nutrition for women and children around the world.
Adrianna Logalbo is the campaign head for Future Fortified, a public awareness campaign of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). It connects individuals, businesses, and organizations to help millions of women and children around the world access the essential nutrients they need to lead healthy, enriched lives.
Photo copyright Future Fortified/Francis Munene.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's March/April 2013 print edition.
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A Future Fortified by Women
March 12, 2013
On a recent trip to Kenya, I was fortunate to meet several women who are, in their own ways, combating the urgent yet often hidden problem of malnutrition, and I was reminded once again of the power women have to truly change the world. With support from individuals, partners, and the government, these women are helping their children grow and thrive, creating healthier futures for their families and communities, and nourishing the next generation.
Anna, one of the loveliest women I have ever met, is a perfect example. I met Anna at the Namanga Health Clinic, a health facility in a border town in southern Kenya. With the help of Gladys, an outspoken community health worker whose English far exceeds my Swahili, Anna told me that at 26 years old, she has six children, the youngest of which – Lamayan – is just 9 months old.
Anna spends her days in the local market, selling traditional Massai beaded necklaces. While we are only a short 30 miles from Amboseli National Park, she tells me there isn’t much tourism in the area, making it difficult to sell enough necklaces to earn the 200 Kenyan Shillings she needs every day to buy food like Unga (Ugali flour), Mchele (rice), and Ndizi (bananas). It is normal for Anna and her family to eat a simple meal of porridge in the morning and rice in the evening.
Anna’s situation is common for many families living in Kenya. While Kenya is known for its vibrant culture, environment, and economy, it is also challenged by food insecurity. Drought, escalating food prices, and conflict in neighboring countries have brought hunger and malnutrition to more than 2.4 million people. And though malnutrition is a country-wide problem, the impact of malnutrition is greatest on women and children during the critical 1,000 day window from a woman’s pregnancy to a child’s second year of life – the most important time for a child’s growth and development. As a result, Kenyan children have alarmingly high rates of Vitamin A deficiency and anemia, leading to increased rates of blindness, illness, and even death from common childhood infections.
But all of this is on the verge of change.
The day I met with Anna, she was attending a mother’s support group at the health center. After bringing her son to the clinic for his monthly weight and height exam, Anna received a month’s worth of home nutrition packets – enough to add the essential vitamins and minerals Lamayan needs to his food three times a week. These packets are a simple, cost-effective way to prevent malnutrition in the critical first 1,000 days of a child’s life, enabling moms to add the missing nutrients to the local foods they prepare in the home. Over the past year the Future Fortified campaign has worked with people and partners such as Herbalife and DSM to raise funds to deliver packets to 20,000 children in Kenya.
Rather than going back to the market as the meeting ended, Anna invited me to her home, a single story structure made of mud and clay with a tin roof. I was curious as to whether Anna found the nutrition packets odd or difficult to use. Indeed, it is a new behavior to sprinkle something on your baby’s food. But Anna did not hesitate in saying it was simple. And with support from Gladys, the community health worker, she understands why it is so important for Lamayan to give him the nutrients he needs to grow healthy and strong.
I heard this over and over again how easy the packets are easy to use. And with weekly support groups organized at the health clinic, mothers like Anna are getting information on how best to care for their children, including the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and adding healthy, nutritious foods and essential nutrients from six months on.
This project in Namanga is just beginning – in the coming months we will hear more from Anna and mothers like her in the Kajiado District of southern Kenya who are beginning to use the home nutrition packets. I have no doubt they will continue to use them, because like mothers everywhere, Anna shared that her biggest hope for her children is that they grow healthy and have the opportunity to learn.
We know good nutrition is fundamental in helping children live, grow, and learn, yet millions of women and children in countries around the world do not have access to the essential vitamins and minerals they need to thrive. This is unacceptable when simple, long-lasting solutions like home nutrition packets exist. I hope others will join us in turning up the volume on this important issue and help us improve access to good nutrition for women and children around the world.
Adrianna Logalbo is the campaign head for Future Fortified, a public awareness campaign of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). It connects individuals, businesses, and organizations to help millions of women and children around the world access the essential nutrients they need to lead healthy, enriched lives.
Photo copyright Future Fortified/Francis Munene.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's March/April 2013 print edition.
