By Esnart Chingwalu

A coalition of different stakeholders, under the banner Civil Society Organization Nutrition Alliance (CSONA), says it intends to train more Dieticians as one way of improving nutrition status in the country by the year 2026.

This has been revealed during a meeting the organization held with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Zomba district where among others, highlighted the progress of its five-year project called Nutrition for Health.

Speaking to YFM online, CSONA Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Kettie Sambani, said the project is being implemented in Zomba, Salima and Khotakota districts.

Sambani said: “Through this project we want to see trained Dieticians in all the district hospitals as currently the country has 12 dieticians and out of them only nine are working in the country’s referral hospitals.”

Sambani added that the project will use the advocacies to ensure that the dieticians are also recognized in the districts.

She further said they have put in place several activities aimed at tracking the initiatives that were already set aside by government such as policy review meetings that will be done in district councils.

One of the partners implementing the project, Maternity Worldwide, through one of its officials, Racheal Kalima, said the project will help reduce obesity and malnutrition in Zomba district.

“We will coordinate with all the CSO’s in zomba to ensure that the project meets intended purpose and benefit Zomba District at large,” Said Kalima.

Meanwhile Alfred Banda who represented the CSO’s during the meeting, expressed the importance of the project to Zomba district especially in ending non-communicable diseases.