Civil Society Organization Nutrition Alliance (CSONA) has urged for more awareness on nutrition as one way of fighting against malnutrition in the country.
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for CISONA Kate Sambani made the call in Karonga following a 2-day long workshop on nutrition for over 20 journalists from the district in conjunction with Ukhondo Services Foundation (USEF).
Speaking in an interview, Sambani said the media play a big role in disseminating information to the public hence urged them to be nutrition champions and Advocates.
“Nutrition is an issue which is not prioritize by most people including government as well as individuals at household level and in the communities thus the media are vital in raising awareness on the importance of nutrition,” she said.
He added that malnutrition is a development issue that hinders all sectors of development therefore the media is a powerful tool to use in order to reach out to the masses.
In his remarks, Executive Director for USEF Edgar Phiri said good nutrition food allows the brain to function properly resulting in more affective knowledge with school going children.
“Good nutritional food especially during the critical first 1000 days between pregnancy and age is foundational to the physical and cognitive development of the infants and young children hence the training to equip journalists on how they can write nutritional articles for the development of the country,” Phiri said.
Adams Wundaninge, one of the participants to the training, expressed gratitude to the organizers of the orientation saying the workshop was an eye opener as journalists lacked knowledge on issues of nutrition.
Wundaninge therefore challenged his fellow journalists to broaden up their horizon in their news gathering by embracing nutrition reporting.
