By Wally Bah
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, in collaboration with the European Union, on Tuesday 15th October 2019, launched the ‘Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Caravan on Food Fortification and Bio-fortification’ in celebrations marking World Food Day.
The Bio-fortification project, renamed, “BALUU-TIM-MARING-NGO”, is funded by the European Union (EU).
The caravan, which is on a nationwide trek targeting the whole regions in the Gambia, according to officials, is to raise awareness on healthy and nutritious diets amongst the population.
Darrell Sexstone, the programme manager at European Union office in the Gambia, said although progress is being made, statistics released in the not too distant past,showed that globally around 165 million, or a quarter of the world’s children suffered from stunting.
He lamented also that 2.6million children under the age of five die every year as a result of under nutrition. That over 90 percent of these live in Africa and Asia; in addition, he said around 52 million (8%) of the worlds under five children are wasted, with the greatest numbers also found in Asia and in Africa.
“Back in 2014, the European Union pledged to reduce global stunting in the Gambia by 30 percent by 2025,” Darrel said. According to the National Nutrition statistics released in March and August this year, Gambia’s 2018 Micronutrient Survey (GMNS) and 2018 multiple indicator cluster survey (MICS), stunting rates have fallen significantly in the Gambia from one in four in 2013 to less than one in five, today.
The EU Programme Manager in the country indicated that as per the EU’s own Nutrition Advisory Service, “that is a really impressive finding on stunting”, describing The Gambia’s as one of lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, comparable to Senegal on 17% of the EU countries prioritizing nutrition.
Permanent Secretary Muhammadou Lamin Jaiteh of the Office of the Vice President, recollected that in 2018, the Government of The Gambia conducted a Nation-wide Survey to determine Micronutrient Malnutrition.
The results of that survey, as Jaiteh informed the Caravaners, has shown that micronutrient malnutrition, particularly vitamin A Deficiency, Iron Deficiency Anemia and Iodine Deficiency Disorders are highly prevalent in the Gambia.
He also deduced from the survey that 50.4% of children and 50.9% of women are anemic.
The PS at the country’s second highest office told the audience that, while 18.3% of children are vitamin A Deficiency, almost 80% of households consume iodized salt; and only 10% are consuming adequately iodized salt.
