Nutrition comes from gardens
"In the programme we are taught to take care of the small children. They have to eat enriched porridge," she says.
Women learn about good nutrition practices in a FAO-sponsored training. ©FAO/Telcínia dos Santos
Women and children, especially pregnant women and children 0-2 years of age, are among the groups most vulnerable to food insecurity and chronic malnutrition. This is no different in Mozambique where, according to the FAO Technical Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition 35% of the population is food insecure and 43% of children under 5 are chronically malnourished.
Chronic undernutrition levels are particularly critical in northern Mozambique, which is why women in the province of Zambezia are campaigning against this issue.
Rosita Francisco Mocole is what the programme calls a “care mother”. She was chosen to take part in a FAO training and then given the responsibility to share what she learned with her community. She belongs to a farmer group that consists of 12 women in the locality of Namite; twice a week they share their knowledge about nutrition and home gardening.
"We are learning about good nutrition practices and home gardening. We have farms where we produce food for our children. Through these lessons we already know that we all, but especially pregnant women and children, need to have at least 3 different meals per day," she says.