Govt targets to reduce stunting by 19%

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KAMPALA - The Government has set a target to reduce stunting in the country from 26 per cent to 19 per cent by next year.

Edward Walugembe, the Commissioner for Strategic Coordination and Implementation in the Office of the Prime Minister, says stunting negatively affects mental and academic performance.

Stunting according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) is the impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation.

Children are defined as stunted if their height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the WHO Child Growth Standards median.

In Uganda, stunting currently stands at 26%, while undernutrition is responsible for 40% of deaths in children under five.

Reducing the prevalence of stunting, low birth weight in children, anaemia in women, and increasing breastfeeding rates are among the prioritiSed global nutrition targets for all countries.

Presenting a keynote on Uganda’s commitments towards reducing stunting, achievements, opportunities and potential game-changing actions at the Golf Course Hotel in Kampala on September 13, 2024, Zakaria Fusheini, a nutrition manager at UNICEF, stated that egg consumption among children is one of the most effective ways to improve their nutritional status.

Participants after closing the National Colloquium on Stunting among Children under Five Years at Golf Course Hotel in Kampala. (Credit: Violet Nabatanzi)

During the National Colloquium on Stunting among Children under Five Years, Fusheini emphasized that the early introduction of eggs from six months of age has the potential to improve children's growth and reduce stunting.

He stressed the importance of exploring opportunities to increase egg consumption among young children.

He also noted that the climate crisis is a child nutrition crisis, adding that in sub-Saharan Africa, climate change is projected to cause an additional 10.1 million children to suffer from stunting by 2050.

Agnes Kirabo, the executive director of the Food Rights Alliance, called for both strategic and individual actions.

"When we talk about ensuring every child has access to an egg, we shouldn’t only view eggs from a price perspective. We need to dream big, envisioning an egg per child per day. But let us start with small actions, like giving each household chicks to raise, which aligns with our traditional practices," she said.

Kirabo also stressed the need to raise awareness. "Have you sat down as a family to reflect on how you’re eating and planning meals? How are we feeding our children?"

Grace Bwengye, a planner for agriculture at the National Planning Authority, mentioned that as the country transitions to the Fourth National Development Plan (NDPIV), reducing stunting will remain a priority, with an even stronger focus on accelerating progress toward meeting national and global nutrition targets.

During the meeting, Shadia Namboze, a Primary Five pupil, pleaded with parents, especially stepmothers, to show more love.

She urged them to change the way they treat children and encouraged the community not to transfer anger toward parents onto children.