Africa-Press – Botswana. The adverse effects of micro nutrient deficiencies in home grown feeding programme schools across the SADC region is a prevalent issue that calls for a continual multi-sector approach, says the SADC School based programme technical expert, Ms Ruusa Mushimba.
She said this during the multi-sectoral workshop on the domestication of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA)-NEPAD guidelines for the design and implementation of home grown school feeding programme in Gaborone on Tuesday.
She said 40 per cent of children aged 5-14 years and 20 per cent of those aged 15-19 years from home grown schools suffered from micro-nutrient deficiencies, and this affected learners’ cognitive, physical and emotional growth which negatively impacted their overall well-being.
Ms Mushimba said while most home-grown schools had feeding programmes that primarily targeted hunger and malnutrition among learners, there was still a need to implement more strategies that addressed issues of micronutrient deficiencies, hence the need for a collaborative approach.
She said the multi-sector approach was a comprehensive strategy that would help to break the cycle of providing just basic nutrition and calorie-dense food items.
It will also aid in the implementation of more policies that raise awareness about the importance of a balanced meal and a supply of micronutrient-rich food.
“Most of the feeding programmes in home grown schools largely focus on providing basic nutrition and calories, overlooking the importance of food rich in micro- nutrients, and this result in micro nutrient deficiencies that negatively impact on learners’ academic performance and their overall well-being,” she said.
AUDA-NEPAD Project Manager, Nutrition and Food Safety, Ms Kefilwe Moalosi, underscored the need to keep up proper hygiene measures in efforts to maintain food health and safety in home grown schools for the well-being of learners.
She said adhering to hygienic measures was not only to ensure the safety of food served but it also promoted a healthy learning environment.
The purpose of the workshop was to review and validate the revised menu at home grown schools, to ensure that planned menus responded to regional food variation, and meet the identified nutrient targets for local school children.
It was also set to resuscitate the discussion of developing Botswana National School Feeding Policy and to also develop a roadmap that seeks to strengthen the implementation of home grown school feeding programme.
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