Mubende – Residents of Mubende District have expressed gratitude to the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) for introducing community nutrition initiatives which have not only helped them provide their families with balanced meals, but have also improved their household incomes and transformed their lives.
Nakibuule Aisha, a resident of Madudu Village in Mubende District and one of Sasakawa’s Commercial Community-Based Facilitators (CCBF), revealed that through her Nutrition Model Home—supported by the Sasakawa Africa Association—she has been able to work with Madudu Health Centre III to significantly reduce the number of children suffering from malnutrition in the area.
“I was introduced to Sasakawa in 2019. I embarked on sensitizing parents about a balanced diet and proper feeding of children. In the eleven local councils where I operate, we used to register over 500 cases of malnutrition, but ever since then, these cases have dropped to below 200, and we are looking to have this number reduced to zero.”
She pointed out that, according to her findings, most of the children in the area suffer from malnutrition because parents are ignorant about proper feeding practices.
“You find that many parents, especially those with children below two years, want to feed them in the same way they feed themselves. A mother wants to cook one type of meal without any greens for a full week, but after sensitization many have been able to completely change their meal timetable.”
Kitchen Gardens
Many homes, after sensitization, have been able to establish small gardens near their kitchens where they grow greens, cabbages, pumpkins and other vegetables to supplement their diet on a daily basis.
“These gardens not only provide food and sauce to the family, but have turned out to be a source of livelihood in some homes, whereby parents with bigger gardens sell off the surplus from their harvest.”
Aisha also raises high quality Vegetable seedlings which she later distributes to members of her community, to ensure that families have a diverse range of nutrients rich food within their homes.
She added that due to both the nutritional and financial benefits from these gardens, many families have adopted them.
Sasakawa Contribution
Aisha stated that Sasakawa Africa constructed for them a shade where they hold meetings on nutrition-related matters, which is also sometimes used as an immunization shelter.
She added that Sasakawa introduced iron-rich beans and Orange freshed sweet potatoes to farmer groups, which later distributed them to communities that have continued growing them up to date. The organization also provided furniture, a solar drier and other equipment which have supported Aisha and the community in many ways.
“On an individual basis, I have benefited from engagement with Sasakawa in a number of ways. For example, I have learnt to mix nutritional porridge made from millet, silver fish and maize flour, which I sell to parents with children suffering from malnutrition and this year alone, I have been able to use the same formula to save over 50 children from Mal nutrition.” Remarked Aisha.
She explained that from this project alone, she has been able to pay school fees for her children, support her household and improve the livelihoods of other community members she has trained. “Many used to have grass-thatched houses, but with continued dependence on nutrition-based farming, they have been able to upgrade to iron sheet–roofed houses.”
Dr. Ifugute Samuel, the Health Assistant at Madudu Health Centre III in Mubende District, revealed that they receive referrals of severely malnourished children from Madam Aisha and the community.
“We always work with Aisha and support her in all her operations. We realized that most people are not natives and they lack land to farm, and in case they fail to provide for their families, they end up battering their wives, hence an increase in cases of gender-based violence.”
He added that before Sasakawa’s intervention, they used to receive an overwhelming number of cases, but with Sasakawa’s support, referrals dropped to about one case within a period of three to six months.
Namuli Dorotia, one of the residents of Madudu and a beneficiary of Sasakawa initiatives, stated that before the program, they relied on agriculture without applying manure. But after several trainings, she learnt modern farming skills which have contributed to improved harvests.
“We used to harvest four bags of maize per acre, but recently when I planted three acres of maize, I harvested six bags per acre. It is this money that I used to buy these two cows which are providing me with manure, and I have hope that a few months from now, they will provide me with milk.”
As a beneficiary of the Nutritional program, Namuli not only stop at spotting mal-nourished children in the area, she also has acquired nutritional knowledge which she used in establishing a house hold vegetable garden at her home, which has enabled her to kick mal Nutrition out of her home through since the garden provides vegetables used to supplement their daily meals.
Sasakawa Speaks out
Ms. Ethiopia Tadesse, Communications and Advocacy Officer at the Sasakawa Africa Association, revealed that the ongoing media visit is an annual event aimed at amplifying Sasakawa’s achievements, especially in uplifting people’s well-being.
“As Sasakawa, we have done a lot. We can’t be everywhere, but the media can amplify our success stories to the public.”
She added that this proactive is carried out in all other African countries Sasakawa operate.
