BUJUMBURA, July 5th (ABP) – Young children (0 to 2 years) must be well nourished in order to grow well and allow their brains to develop properly, said the socio-cultural adviser to the governor of the province of Bujumbura (western Burundi) during a sensitisation meeting for members of the communal platform for food security and nutrition in the communes of Kanyosha and Isare, held on Wednesday 3 July in the headquarters of the commune of Kanyosha.
He recommended that communes identify all malnourished people and teach them how to grow, cook and eat crops rich in vitamins, carbohydrates and lipids through awareness-raising sessions.
Figures need to be collected and action plans integrated into Community Development Plans (CDPs) so that they can be proposed to partners working in the field of nutrition, he added. Today, communities ignore cases of mild, acute or chronic malnutrition, and treatment is not effective. Malnutrition is complex and requires multi-sectoral solutions, said the socio-cultural advisor to the Governor of Bujumbura, pointing out that the Steering Committee of the Provincial Platform for Food Security and Nutrition (COPIL/PPSAN) is there to monitor and coordinate all the activities of the PCSANs.
He promised them capacity building sessions so that they are fully aware of the tasks ahead.
The provincial governor, Désiré Nsengiyumva, pointed out that until we have a database of malnourished people, it will always be difficult to cure them.