Zero malnutrition in Tanzania

Zero malnutrition in Tanzania is for fighting malnutrition in young children and  pregnant women by providing milk and vegetables to registered pregnant women and children under 5 years.

Zero malnutrition is a the Idea at planning stage aiming to fight against malnutrition in Tanzania specifically in local areas. This Idea require the area for farming vegetables and keeping dairy kettles for provision of milk and vegetables to the registered pregnant women and children under 5 years old. This Idea aim to start with one farm at kigala Ilemela mwanza, where it will be its headquarters. The project will run by selling dairy product and vegetables to other group of people who are not under consideration. The projects will use dairy breeds which has high milk yield to ensure all people under consideration get milk as well as vegetables. This technology of using dairy breeds and nutritious vegetables could be of great importance. 

The idea aiming to reduce the number of children under 5 years old who suffer from malnutrition due to poor diet. The problem of malnutrition in Tanzania is due to poverty which contributes a large percentage of malnutrition where people specifically pregnant women fail to acquire balanced diet as well as their children, hence malnutrition.  According to UNICEF the report provided on 2015 shown that about more than 2.7 milion children in Tanzania suffer from malnutrition, specifically in rural areas. Implementation of zero malnutrition could bring hope to children and parents lost hope due to malnutrition, by providing nutritious food which is milk rich in protein and vegetables as source of minerals and vitamins which are most constituents in children diet. Therefore there is a need for projects aiming to fight this problem which is one of set back to our economic growth.

The solution aiming to eradicate the problem of malnutrition in pregnant women and children under 5 years old in Tanzania. Currently the government and other stakeholders are working on other food which can contribute to reduce malnutrition problem projects like "Unga lishe" meaning nutritious flours are in place but are not much effective compared to milk and vegetables provission. Regardless of these meaasures undertaken by the government and other stakeholders holders there still a need to improve in the way to fight the problem as it still in un acceptable level at our country. Implementation of this project Idea will enable to put more effort to other measures have been taken as a measure to fight the problem. Therefore there is a need to find other measures such that has to be implemented in this project to fight malnutrition in Tanzania. 

The steps we  have taken to understand the need of the population under target inlude visting health centres and have conversations with pregnant women and parents with children under 5 years, mainly in local health centres. We visted several health centres including Murutilima at ukerewe, Bwisya at ukara, Nyerere at Ilemela, Sokoine University of Agriculture hospital at Morogoro and many others but also we have visted some families and have discussions with them on how malnutrition have been affecting the family specifically poor family. Basing on min research we have discovered that most of people especially in rural areas fail to accomodate for balance diet due to poverty. Therefore there is a need to make a strategy to ensure even poor people are helped to accommodate alteast nutritious food to avoid them suffer from malnutrition. In  our charity group MAKE THEM SMILE we were volunteering to help people living poor life to get atleast some needs which encouraged as to propose for this project Idea hoping it could help to fight against this malnutrition problem in our country.

Our project still in Idea stage but we have taken further step by making survey in health centres for min research and visting some families have interviews with them on the problem of malnutriton , also now we are in the last procedures in negotiating with Director of Jospal English medium school at Kigala Mwanza  for area of farming and cultivating vegetables to start with one cow we are planning to buy by January 2022 with small ammount of money we have saved. We will able to buy one dairy breed for milk production but also we can prepare a vegetable garden of about one hectare which will save as trials few pregnant women and the kindergarten children. We are expecting to provide to about 100 pregnant women and children under 5 years old in 2022. The people under consideration will be registered and get our product freely while the remaining product in a day  will be sold other will used to make other dairy products for commercial purpose as a means project to run it self.

Production of nutritious food from dairy breeds and quality vegetables is not a new technology but an existing technology which we will be modify to fit the purpose. In Norma way dairy cattles has no ability to give more than 5 litres of milk per day but using dairy breeds which are dairy specifically for milk production we can produce more milk with few dairy breeds as compared to normal dairy cattles. Also many people tend to cultivate crops in such a way that they use large land with low yields but witb our knowledge in agriculture we will practice sustainable agriculture with use of small land with higher quality.  Our solution relies on modifications of  food supply which involve use of dairy breeds  and quality vegetables produced in sanitary way to improve the nutrition status of pregnant women and children under 5 years old. Therefore our modification to the existing farming and malnutrition fighting measures will led to this Zero Malnutrition in Tanzania.

Currently we have not launched our project Idea but in the next year we are expecting to save about 100 registered targeted population with our nutritious food ( pregnant women and children under 5 years old). Also we expect to sell our product to about 100 people who are not in targeted population who will use our product as their normal food. This will be possible because by June 2022 we are expecting to have 8 dairy breeds which will have the ability to produce 200 litres of milk, 100litres milk we will give to these 100 people under target while the remaining will be sold to 100 people as milk or other dairy products ( cheese and yoghurt). This will enanles to save a population of 100 at a start while searching for funds to expand our services.

Our project I dea will reduce to 50% the number of children to get malnutrition in the operating areas by providing nutritious food ( milk and vegetables) which are necessary for the growth of the child. This has been estimated from the information we requested to know during our min research at Nyerere health centre which is the health centre of the village. The doctor in charge said it estimated that about 200 chidren get born at Kigala street ( our main area of conduct) each year There fore, saving about 100 people including children and pregnant women equal to 50% of the population. Therefore we are expecting  children will grow healthly and fullfill their dreams. Our impacts will be measured by assessing the malnutrition status at our health centres which will be our min research each month to understand the progress, although we are expecting to have a station in all region of the country by 2030.

Since we have not launched our project Idea we have not measured the the progress of our project Idea  but according to our project plan after project the implementation of our project Idea. We are planning  to conduct a min research in each month to our village healthcare centres as well as visting some families with our targeted populatiom we will be saving for interviews and discussion on their progress in order to  understand the progress of our project. The min researches which will be conducted in the village health care centre in corraboration with the district medical officer as well as assessment results from families will be documented and evaluated each year to prepare for the annual progress report for evaluation and assessment which will be also will be  given to our donors and other stakeholders holders if any for clarification when required.

In accomplishment of any activities which aims to save people chsllenges are inevitable. Our team are facing with numerous challenges and barriers as enumarated here

First;  The major set back to our project Idea is capital to run the project but also way to improve it as well as  make the project run it self while serving people in target freely.

Second our team have no area to establish the project till yet although negotiations with Jospal English medium school are in the last procedures for the area of conduct

Third; Bad traditions and customs, in our min research we discovered that some people especially in rural areas still has strongly holding bad beliefs such as superstitions. People believe their children suffering from malnutrition have been witchrafted. Also receiving services to some one who don't originate from their tribes or who seem to be a guest is challenge which could be a challenge. But on this we have managed to find people from them who willingly to help us.

Our team led by Frank Masinde a Biotechnologist I experienced a volunteering activities in serving people with need during my university studies with the title " Let them smile" as a chair person which still a runing charity group at Sokoine University of Agriculture. Currently I am volunteering at Jospal English medium school teaching but I started a charity group with my co workers named " let them smile" too aiming to help people in need with anything we have.

Others are Fenia Weloba a nurse at misungwi who helps us in finding medical statistics, Agnes Katiba a volunteer nurse too at Murutilima health center, Leonard Mtakuja a primary teacher who is good in communicating with people of diferent background and Relina Katiba an accountant by professional who helps us in badgeting.

Currently we are  in the last procedures in negotiating with Jospal English medium school in order to get an area for agricultural activities which is a major activity in our project. Also we are seeking loans and funds from friends and family. Jospal English medium has agreed to work with us in such away that we will be providing some products to their pupils. Therefore we are in collaboration with Jospal English medium school to carry out this business Idea.