47% of Malawian under-five children Malawi stunted

Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Allan Chiyembekeza has said 47 percent of children in Malawi under the age of five are stunted while 14 percent are underweight.

The minister said the main causes are inadequate food intake, poor sanitation, frequent illnesses and poor childcare practices.

He said this on Friday at Mulanje Community Park when he presided over an open day for the Global Day of Action (GDA) towards Nutrition organised by the Civil Society Organisations Nutrition Alliance (Csona).

Chiyembekeza said malnutrition affects the poor and is the fundamental driver of poverty and inequality.

Said the minister:  “Malnutrition results in poor cognitive development, decreased productivity and life expectancy. Consequently, malnutrition is responsible for losses in gross domestic product by anywhere between three to 16 percent.”

Speaking at the function, Csona project officer Tisungeni Zimpita said the alliance is pleased with how CSOs in Malawi are working towards improving nutrition.

In his remarks, member of Parliament for Mulanje South Bon Kalindo said a country cannot develop if its people do not eat nutritious food or are stunted.

The GDA for nutrition, held under the theme Keep the Momentum: Nutrition at the Core of Malawi’s Socio-economic Development Agenda, was set aside for CSOs globally to lead in raising awareness on the importance of nutrition and to build momentum and commitment towards addressing it.

The GDA members present included Plan Malawi, World Vision Malawi (WVM), Concern Universal and Goal Malawi.