Governor Victor Borges launched a social movement to dramatically reduce malnutrition among children under 5 years old in Nampula province, Mozambique. Currently, 50.1% of children under 5 years old in the province are stunted, affecting their physical development and cognitive capacity for the rest of their lives.
Acting on the initiative of the governor, a broad coalition of government, civil society, community groups and the private sector came together to develop the movement, which aims to catalyze community action to improve nutrition practices and reduce stunting. The movement has been named Dieta Diversificada, Um Futuro Saudável (Diverse Diet, Healthy Future).
Big Win Philanthropy is providing technical and financial support for the initiative, working closely with the provincial government and the Foundation for Community Development (FDC), a Maputo-based charity founded and led by Graça Machel, the humanitarian and former First Lady of Mozambique.
The objective of the movement is to improve nutritional practices in communities where malnutrition rates are alarmingly high. Although Nampula is known the “breadbasket” of the country thanks to its agricultural productivity, its malnutrition rates are well above the national average.
Research carried out at the request of Governor Borges revealed a complex set of behavioral drivers that contribute to the high rate of stunting and made it clear that a new approach was needed which engaged communities from the ground up, rather than the top down.
Informed by these insights, the movement will empower communities and households to be the agents of change, giving them the information and tools that they need to ensure that every child has a healthy start to life. It will establish community groups to support pregnant and nursing women and families with babies and young children to improve their nutrition practices.
The movement will also spearhead the implementation of community-level growth monitoring, helping to ensure that all children under 5 years old are growing at healthy rates and are regularly assessed for signs of malnutrition.
The initiative will be supported by additional training for health workers, ensuring that they are equipped to provide families with guidance on good nutritional practices and on how to diagnose and treat malnutrition.
