Paulina Quintao – A newly launched integrated program is aiming to reduce malnutrition rates in the country, particularly in Aileu municipality.

Sunrise Joint Venture (SJV) Company established the program in partnership with local organizations Together We Help (HIAM) Health, the Alola Foundation, Good Enterprise and the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA TL).

SVJ Country Representative Antonio dos Santos said it was the time for organizations to work together as part of an integrated program to reduce malnutrition in communities.

He said SJV had provided funding to four local organizations for many years to help combat malnutrition problems in the country, but this approach had not been working effectively because everyone was doing separate interventions in different places.

Under the new program, planned interventions will be based on each organization's specialty. For instance, the Alola Foundation will promote health education and nutrition, while HIAM Health will support community groups to plant vegetable crops. RYLA-TL will also help set up aquaculture projects and Good Enterprise will provide training to communities on how they can better promote their goods in the marketplace.

The pilot program will initially be implemented in the three sukus (villages) of Liurai, Banduato and Lau-usi in the Aileu municipality, but dos Santos said it would be expanded to other municipalities later if successful.

He added that SJV would continue to provide funding support for local organizations to work towards combating malnutrition in the country.The integrated program has a budget of $400,000 for the year.

Aileu municipality health representative Rogerio da Conceicao said every municipality was facing malnutrition, with pregnant women and children among the worst affected.

"Nutrition is a part of improving the immunity of pregnant women and children between the ages of 0-5," he said.

He said he expected the program to be very helpful in reducing malnutrition rates in Aileu, particularly in the three sukus participating in the pilot project.

He said Liurai, Banduato and Lau-usi were selected to participate in the pilot program as data from Aileu municipality showed that those sukus had among the highest rates of malnutrition.

However, Liurai suku chief DomiNGOs Pinheiro said it was not a new program and had been implemented in the past, but was not well integrated.

"We will mobilize the community to participate actively in those programs to achieve the objective," he said.

He said good coordination would be key to the program's success and therefore it was important that the organizations, local authorities and communities communicate effectively.

As part of the program, HIAM Health will establish six community groups in each of the three sukus to plant the vegetables, while RYLA-TL will set up a place to keep fish in each suku. Before implementing the program, the organizations will provide technical training to the groups involved.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/health/14162-integrated-program-to-help-reduce-malnutrition