Poor roads hampering fight against stunting in Neno

Neno District Red Cross says poor road networks are hampering efforts to reduce malnutrition and stunting in the district.

Red Cross district coordinator Wanangwa Nkhata said this on Tuesday during an exchange visit of Red Cross care groups from Mulanje, Chikwawa and Mangochi districts aimed at sharing experience and commitment to new approaches in the fight against malnutrition and stunting.

He said due to poor roads, a number of experienced government officers who were posted to work in the district, refuse to stay.

“Neno was supposed to have 40 agriculture extension workers but, it has 14 on the ground, so you can see that the gap is very huge.

“During rainy season, some of the areas become inaccessible, making it difficult to bring messages for people to change and adopt proper feeding practices,” he said.

Mangochi district nutrition coordinator Chifundo Manong’a said he learnt how Neno is using care groups to fight malnutrition in villages.

“Having care groups functioning in hard to reach areas like these is a feat we have admired,” he said. 

The 2016 Demographic Health Survey revealed that Neno and Mangochi have the highest rate of stunting  at  44 percent.