BUJUMBURA October 4th (ABP) – The leader of the organizing committee of the 2nd edition of the National Forum of Women Leaders, Dr. Jean Bosco Girukwishaka, held on Friday October 1, 2021, a press conference on the holding of the National High Forum level of awareness and mobilization of women leaders so that they become more involved in activities contributing to the reduction of malnutrition in Burundi. That forum is organized by the Organization of the First Ladies of Africa for Development (OPDAD-Burundi) in collaboration with the ministries in charge of Public Health, Agriculture and Solidarity under the technical and financial support of UNICEF, WFP, UN / WOMEN, WHO, UNDP, WB, UNFPA and USAID.
According to Dr Girukwishaka, that forum will be held in Bujumbura from October 19 to 20, 2021 under the theme “Women leaders, let’s mobilize against malnutrition”. He indicated that the choice of the theme of this year is motivated by the fact that the nutritional situation in Burundi remains worrying especially for the categories of the most vulnerable populations, namely children under five years old, pregnant or breastfeeding women despite the efforts made over the past thirty years in the fight against malnutrition.
He also indicated that according to the national survey on nutritional situation and mortality edition 2020, global acute malnutrition, according to the weight-for-height ratio, affects 6.1% of children aged 6 to 59 months while the prevalence of chronic malnutrition is 52.2%. In pregnant women, global acute malnutrition is 3% while it is 2.8% in breastfeeding women. Dr Girukwishaka clarified in this press conference that the main determinants of malnutrition are linked not only to poverty and food insecurity, but also to the lack of knowledge of a minimum of good nutritional practices or poor access to it. information. He added that malnutrition has consequences on health and also affects the socio-economic development of the countries where it is rife.
In view of the capital role of women in the fight against malnutrition, to resolve nutrition issues, it is essential to empower women by providing them with technical and financial means to strengthen their economy and their health in order to contribute to zero malnutrition in Burundi. It is in this context that the first lady of the country through the OPDAD is committed to improving the health of mothers and children and to the mobilization of women leaders for their involvement in reducing the prevalence. malnutrition in all its forms in Burundi.
Dr. Girukwishaka also pointed out that this forum will be an opportunity to identify good practices and challenges or constraints to combat malnutrition, to strengthen the capacities of women leaders on the importance of adequate complementary feeding and to learn from it. experience of other countries in the fight against malnutrition. He recalled that the zero-malnutrition campaign was launched by the country’s first lady, Mrs. Angéline Ndayishimiye, on October 20, 2020.
It should be noted that this forum will see the participation of the First Ladies of certain African countries, regional representatives of organizations of the United Nations system and other regional institutions, representatives of international organizations, parliamentarians and many other distinguished guests.