Chronic malnutrition silently robbing Uganda's future

By Ronald Ssekandi

AMURU, Uganda, Feb. 24 (Chinese media) -- Uganda is one the African countries with the best climate suitable for agricultural production but millions of its children are facing chronic malnutrition which has permanently damaged their capacity to achieve full potential to contribute to national development.

Millions of children, over 40 percent of the children in the country, are robbed of vital nutrients which make them grow up stunted and sickly. Unable to comprehend most of the things taught in class, they are bound to drop out of school early.

A ministry of education and sports nationwide study in 2007 showed that the lack of meals at school was one of the key reasons why children drop out of school under the Universal Primary Education.

Official statistics show that of the 40 percent malnourished children, 60 percent of them are below the age of five.

In Amuru, which is one of the country's worst performing districts, about 40 percent of pupils enrolled in Primary One do not make it to Primary Two. Thirty five percent of girls and 26 percent of boys drop out in Primary Five-Six.

According to statistics from the ministry of health, in the next 10 years the country will have 360 million clinical attendances related to malnutrition. Over 25 percent of them will need hospitalization which will cost government and their families3.3 billion U.S. dollars.

Currently government losses 920 million dollars of productivity because of malnutrition, which directly affects labor productivity.

Experts say if this situation continues without urgent attention, Uganda's economic growth will slow down.

"Malnutrition affects development at the family level, at the national level and at the continental level, the stamina for doing work goes down," Ruth Oniango, a nutrition expert based in Kenya told Chinese media recently in an interview.

"We must come out and say it can not be business as usual. This is the time to reverse this trend," Emmanuel Otala, outgoing minister of state for primary health care told a nutrition experts meeting in Kampala last week.

Though the problem seems to be serious, many parents and authorities do not see it as priority. For instance in Amuru, many children dropped out of school after the UN World Food Program phased out its school feeding program.

In many of the districts development programs in the country, school feeding is not seen as a priority. Parents are also reluctant to pack lunch for their children saying it is the role of the government to feed them.

But Namirembe Bitamazire, the minister of education and sports, said on Monday that the country's constitution clearly puts the responsibility on the parents.

Bitamazire who was launching a national packed-lunch campaign here urged parents to provide food to their children as government takes its responsibility to educate them.

The three year campaign which will spread out to other parts of the country aims at sensitizing parents, communities and leaders about the advantages of proper nutrition.