Namutumba farmers receive World Bank bicycles  

A total of 230 farmers in Namutumba district have received bicycles under the World Bank funded multi sectoral food security and nutrition project to facilitate their movement enhance nutrition programmes in schools.

The bicycles were handed over to the beneficiaries during a brief ceremony held at Namutumba district headquarters today.

The Namutumba district chairperson, Hajji Saleh Kumbunga said the district has the biggest number of malnourished children below the age of five as a result of poor feeding, especially in schools.

Kumbunga said the bicycles will enable the farmers move to schools in rural areas monitoring the nutrition programme.

He cautioned beneficiaries against abuse of the programme by diverting the bicycles to their own personal use, saying they risk being arrested and charged before courts of law.

"You are mandated to make a report at the end of every month about the progress of the programme in your specific areas," he said.

Kumbunga urged parents to feed their children on a balanced diet ensure they grow up well besides become productive citizens of the country in future.

"Some of you think chips and chicken is good diet leaving out things that would be useful to the bodies of children," he said.

The district education officer Namutumba, Stephen Magooma disclosed that over 5,000 pupils in primary schools in the entire district are malnourished as a result of poor feeding habits in homes.

Magooma hailed World Bank and the Government for the support towards improving on nutrition levels of pupils in schools across the district.

The World Bank funded programme involves setting up school gardens in primary schools across the district growing African indigenous foods, vegetables, ow peas, pumpkins, amaranthus and cocoa yams.