When Patricia Patrick first brought her one-year-old son to Utale 2 Health Centre in Balaka, he was visibly frail and underweight, coming in at just 6.4 kg. He showed signs of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), a condition defined by the World Health Organization as extremely low weight-for-height or weight-for-length in children aged 6 to 59 months.
“I was very worried,” recalls Patrick.
Today, her son is steadily gaining weight and currently weighs 7.5 kg. Records from Utale 2 Health Centre show that his Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) — a tool used to assess malnutrition in children aged six months to five years — has improved from 11.9 to 12.4 centimeters, signaling progress in his recovery. This is thanks to a peanut-based Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), popularly known as Chiponde in vernacular.
Study Coordinator at Malawi Liverpool Welcome Research Programme, Dorothy Kazembe says the child is positively responding to treatment and moving towards normal nutrition.
Scientifically, RUTF is formulated with peanuts, milk powder, oil, sugar, and essential minerals to treat children—mostly under the age of five—diagnosed with SAM.
In Balaka, Chiponde is being distributed through health facilities like Utale 2 Health Centre, where Patricia’s son has been receiving his supply since March this year. The support followed a community-based nutrition screening conducted by Save the Children.
In addition, she has been trained in how to prepare six food groups for her two children.
Patricia is among a few mothers benefiting from a nine-month project being implemented in the areas of Traditional Authorities Nkaya and Phimbi in Balaka.
According to Pacharo Makanjira, the facility in charge at Utale 2 Health Centre, the number of children requiring supplementary nutritional treatment is alarming and the facility is facing challenges in addressing the situation.
“We have Outpatient Therapeutic Programme. These children need to receive Chiponde and we are running short of it,” he said. “We may be able to screen the malnourished children in the catchment area, but we will not be able to provide the supplies.”
His facility serves a catchment area of over 10,000 people.
Balaka is among the districts in Malawi with high stunting rates, a situation that is hampering development efforts.
“As for Balaka, we are trying as much as possible to improve the nutritional status of the district. Currently, the national stunting rate stands at 38 percent, as for the district, it is at 33.7 percent, which is slightly higher compared to 32.6 per cent from a previous survey,” said Madalitso Mwenemuruupa, Principal Nutrition and HIV and AIDS Officer for Balaka.
Now, a consortium comprising Save the Children and CARE Malawi has stepped up efforts in Balaka to improve the situation.
Save the Children’s Senior Humanitarian Manager, Steve Kamtimaleka, said the Malawi Drought Response (ECHO Action) project, with funding from the European Union, is supporting pregnant and lactating women, as well as malnourished children.
This consortium initiative led by CARE Malawi is worth €4 million and is targeting close to 70,000 people across Balaka and seven other districts, including Mangochi, Zomba, Machinga and Chikwawa.
However, these interventions come at a time when the United Nations Children’s Fund has warned that 13 million children in Eastern and Southern Africa could face acute malnutrition in 2025 alone.
By Charles Chindongo
