A Nutrition Project being implemented by Mission of Hope, a Non-Governmental Organization, in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region, has made significant impact on the nutritional status of children in the area.

The programme, being sponsored by the Partnership for Child Development (PCD), began in October 2014, and is expected to end in September this year.

It is currently being implemented in 25 communities across the district.

Mission of Hope is implementing the project through the Behavioral Change Communication (BCC) approach, by sensitizing the communities on the need to use locally grown foods, such as beans, “bambara” beans, green leafy vegetables, fruits and eggs, among others, to prepare meals for children in schools and at homes.

Speaking at a community durbar at Zorku, near Bongo, the Project Coordinator of Mission of Hope, Mr Thomas Abagmbire, announced that the project had helped improve upon the diet of children benefiting from the School Feeding Programme in the district.

He said the project also focused on good hygiene, and the preparation of good balanced diets with the locally grown foods rich in proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins, and was good for the children and the entire family.

“The project has so far trained 25 Nutrition Volunteers who have so far reached out to 34,000 children of school going age and their parents. For the Kanga Community for instance, the Volunteers have been trained and they have reached extended their services to 1050 children and their parents from 215 households”, the Project Coordinator disclosed.

He was optimistic that with the progress made so far, the project would succeed in achieving its set target of 100 per cent by the close of its implementation.

Mr Fred K. Amese , the Nutrition Programme Officer of PCD, who expressed happiness about the progress made so far, indicated that scientifically it had been proven that poor nutritional status of children did not only affect their growth and development, but their mental faculties as well.

The Nutrition Officer, who encouraged parents to ensure that their children were fed on good diet using the locally grown food, explained that the project was being implemented in other areas of the country and was providing technical support to farmers and Caterers under the School Feeding Programme.

He attributed the improvement of the nutritional status of many of the children to the improvement of the quality of diet and the expansion of the School Feeding Programme.

The Local Government Inspector in charge of the Bongo District Assembly, Mr Alfred Nyaba, who stood in for the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Alexis Ayamdor, said one of the topmost priorities of the Assembly was health.

The DCE who commended the Mission of Hope and the PCD for their support, explained that the Assembly spent about 80 per cent of its budget in addressing the health needs of the people.

He said the Assembly also procured a piece of land to put up a District hospital in the area to help improve upon the health delivery system.

Some selected basic school children staged a drama depicting how to prepare meals with good nutrients by using locally grown food.