Tanzania: PANITA Lauds Fight against Malnutrition

The Partnership for Nutrition in Tanzania (PANITA) has commended President Samia Suluhu Hassan for pledging to tackle malnutrition and stunting in Tanzania.

PANITA, a network of more than 340 non-governmental organisations (NGO), said it was confident that the Samia administration will further reduce stunting among Tanzanians, especially children.

The 2018 Tanzania National Nutrition Survey revealed that approximately three million children under five years of age were stunted in the country.

Speaking to editors at the State House in Dar es Salaam, the president stressed that her government will strengthen the fight against dwarfism by engaging regional commissioners.

When she served as the vice-president, Hassan stood against the problem, making the regional commissioners to sign a contract for supervising the issue of nutrition in their areas.

‘First of all, from the bottom of my heart let me take this opportunity to congratulate President Samia Suluhu Hassan for managing the issue of stunting and other malnutrition problems first while being the vice president’, Executive Director of PANITA, Tumaini Mikindo, said.

‘Secondly, for the expertise you have provided on the problem of malnutrition and its cause in Tanzania and also by promising to continue monitoring this matter closely now as the president.

‘As the leader of PANITA, which is focused on the fight to eradicate nutritional problems, I am very relieved and believe we will get to the point where the problem of malnutrition will become history in Tanzania’.

Mikindo also said, ‘Fighting stunting and malnutrition requires political will and we have seen it from President Samia. She has promised to deal with this health challenge and we have welcomed her intent’.

Also speaking, PANITA Programme Coordinator, Jane Msagati, said, ‘After Ms Samia signed a contract with the regional commissioners over campaign against stunting and malnutrition, we have seen many regions improving their nutrition levels’.

Tanzania is a member of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) network under the United Nations (UN).

Source: Daily News

Photo source: CDC Global/Remidius Kakulu

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