GITEGA, May 27th (ABP) – On Thursday 24 May, the First Lady of Burundi, Mrs Angeline Ndayishimiye, launched a training campaign on good nutrition practices as part of the fight against malnutrition.
The training is taking place at the headquarters of the “Bonne Action Umugiraneza” foundation in Kibimba in the Giheta commune of Gitega province (central Burundi), a check on the site by ABP has revealed. The beneficiaries of that training include women leaders who are pregnant, breastfeeding or have children under the age of five, including adolescent girls. They will then act as trainers in their communities.
The programme will be launched in five pilot provinces, namely Gitega, Muramvya, Karusi, Muyinga and Kirundo, under the theme “Gufungura neza, ni urucanco n’umuti vy’urufatiro”, which literally translates as “A balanced diet, vaccinations and basic medicines”.
The trainer, Mrs Aline Nkezimana, pointed out that the course was based on five chapters: the main food groups (lipids, carbohydrates and proteins), a balanced diet, the consequences of poor nutrition, the causes of malnutrition, and the techniques that need to be adapted to combat malnutrition-related diseases.
In her speech, Mrs Ndayishimiye pointed out that the Office of the First Lady for Development (OPDD) had deemed it necessary to organise those nutrition training courses for girls and women using local produce after launching the “zero malnutrition” programme to combat diseases caused by malnutrition. She pointed out that Burundians have several types of food that are very rich in nutrients, but that they have no knowledge of how to prepare them to ensure a balanced diet for their families. It is for that reason, she says, that OPDD has organised that training for those girls and women so that they can teach others the techniques of the culinary arts with the aim of effectively combating malnutrition throughout the country.
The First Lady asked the beneficiaries of that training to follow the lessons carefully and put them into practice, starting in their respective families, to serve as role models in society. She called on all Burundians to eat foods rich in lipids, carbohydrates and proteins for better health, because, she said, it’s all there.