Migori county has received a donation of food supplements worth Sh30 million in the fight against malnutrition.
The donation by Lwala Community Alliance targets children under five years and adults who are in need of supplements, including those with HIV.
The ‘Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods’ donation will cover health facilities in all eight subcounties, including 79 health centres.
“We still grapple with malnutrition in Migori, which has been made acute with erratic rains pattern and Covid-19 where socio-economic status of most families have been disrupted,” Migori Governor Okoth Obado said in a speech read by county secretary Christopher Rusana on Friday.
Migori is among top five counties with high HIV prevalence rates, hence the need for food supplements for the group.
Last year, the county recorded 8,000 cases of malnourished children.
The areas most affected include Uriri, Nyatike, Kuria East and Rongo subcounties.
“This dire situation greatly concerns us as a government, the supply of nutrition commodities from the national government to Migori county has been inconsistent and inadequate to meet the county’s demands,” Obado said.
“There is need to bridge the deficit in the food supplement supply.”
Doreen Awino, a systems director with Lwala Community Alliance, said the distribution will be done through several community health volunteers in villages.
“By combining the interventions of community nutrition screening and linkage to health facilities, we have seen the possibility of improving and maintaining the continuum of care,” Awino said.
She said they are able to detect and manage malnutrition complications by building the capacity of community health workers who will be key in the distribution of food supplements.
Awino said malnutrition has increased the cost of healthcare, diminished productivity and slowed down economic growth.
She said the donation will last six months and a similar donation will be brought in within the year.
“County health workers will also be involved in conducting household screening, referral and linkages,” Health executive Kephas Nyamita said.
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