From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS: ZAMBIA: SUPPLEMENTARY FEEDING FOR M
Originator: barnhart@gagme
Organization: Gagme Public Access UNIX, Chicago, Illinois.
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 15:48:14 GMT

Area: Middle East
Reference: Third World Dvpmnt; Women; Agriculture
Title: ZAMBIA: SUPPLEMENTARY FEEDING FOR MOTHERS AND CHILDREN


an inter press service feature

by katongo chisupa

namwala, zambia, aug 17 (ips) -- deep in the hinterland of
southern zambia, the world food programme (wfp) is sponsoring a
supplementary feeding programme for mothers and children in the
remote dictrict of namwala.

like most parts of southern, western and eastern zambia,
namwala has been hard-hit by the drought currently afflicting
the southern african sub-region.

''people are actually dying'', says father neil o' driscoll
of the roman catholic church here.

but since the wfp programme was initiated, there is hope
of reducing malnutrition, zambia's biggest child killer, which
has been responsible for more than 50 percent of infant deaths
country-wide since the beginning of the drought.

''mother and child health (mch) is designed to prevent
malnutrition in under nourished children, pregnant and feeding
mothers'', explains rosemary bubala, a family health nurse in
charge of the wfp programme at namwala hospital.

under the progamme, mothers receive four cups of high energy
proten supplement (heps) per week to make at their homes.
sometimes heps is specially prepared to feed children at the
clinic every thursday when the weights of all babies are
evaluated.

heps is made from a mixture of maize meal, soya flour,
skimmed milk and salt and is obtained from soy nutrients, a
lusaka-based private company, through the world food programme.

although supplementary feeding at namwala namwala hospital
started in 1987, bubala says it was not as good as it is now in
terms of attendance and supplies.

''support is very good from the world food programme. we
receive quarterly heps supplies of 100 bags weighing 50 kgs
each. but since we are very far away from lusaka, sometimes it
is difficult to get more supplies on time'', says bubala.

on average, the clinic handles about 40 undernourished
children every thursday while at least 1,700 children are
registered every month. (more/ips)


zambia: supplementary (2)

saria mulonda is one of millions of mothers and children in
the country who are benefitting from mch which is now being
provided at all district medical institutions in zambia.

the 36-year-old mother of twins says her children were almost
dying of malnutrition untill she started feeding them on heps
from the local clinic.

''i am very happy because at least i get food for my twins. i
have been coming here to get help for my children for two years
now'', an excited mulonda, who is expecting her 12th child, told
ips here.

mulonda, whose husband lost his job several years ago says
she normally goes around the compound begging for food for her
older children. sometimes they go for a month without a proper
meal.

according to bubala, some women still complain of the
distance to the clinic: ''if we had transport we could take heps
to them'', she says.

but according to father o' driscoll, while everybody is doing
their best to ensure that there is food for everyone,
''communication here is a very big problem. it is like living on
the moon. people are living on roots and they will continue
dying. there is no doubt about that''. (ends/ips/kc/tvh/oa/92)


-- 
Aaron (Barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us) -- posting from Evanston, Illinois