October 2007 Monthly Report of BundiNutrition Activities

Below is a listing of various BundiNutrition projects and current activities. These projects are financially supported by private donations to World Harvest Mission. The projects are practically and logistically supported by NHC staff, lay health workers, WHM agriculture extension officers and missionaries, community members, and patients’ caregivers.

• NHC/WHM Inpatient and Outpatient Feeding Programs
o Inpatient Feeding Program: Serve malnourished inpatients, often with chronic illness or severe infection (HIV, TB). Often these children have kwashiorkor and/or marasmus or are below the Road to Health line.
 Inpatients are given either starter milk (if they present as severely malnourished) or high energy milk (if recovering from severe malnutrition)
 In some cases, eggs and groundnut paste/powder are also provided to boost nutrition
o Outpatient Feeding Program: Serve motherless infants under 1 year, multiple birth babies, low birth weight babies (<2.5 kg), and those recovering from severe malnutrition (kwashiorkor, marasmus)
 When initially enrolled, children are given 24 boxes of milk, oil, sugar and told to find a surrogate breastfeeding and return the following month.
 Surrogates receive 10 cups of beans each month through the child’s 12th month.
 In October 2007, we served 70 children through the outpatient feeding program, 35 males, and 35 females.
o HIV-affected children
 Weerve children between 6-18 months when mothers are weaning children off breastmilk, as well as HIV-positive children who are also underweight.
 Children receive growth monitoring and bi-weekly protein supplements such as eggs or groundnut paste or powder. Caregiver nutrition education is also provided.
o In October 2007, 33 new motherless infants or malnourished inpatients were enrolled in either the inpatient or outpatient feeding program
o In October 2007, an average of 15 HIV-affected children was served each week.
• Nutrition Trainings
o Nutrition Trainings in October 2007 included sessions on hygiene, nutrition education key messages, behavior change theory and approach, and each group conducted recipe trials to cook a healthy biscuit.
o During the final week of the training (30 October – 2 November), participants reviewed all previous sessions and were awarded certificates of attendance.
o Average attendance was 15 people, including health center staff, TBAs, BBB production team members, and other interested community members
• Byokuliya Bisemeye mu Bantu (BBB) Project
o To promote cultivation of high-protein food crops such as sesame, groundnut, and soybean
o Trained farmers and gave seed for quick-growing food crops (e.g., papaya)
o Distributed BBB T-shirts to farmers and production teams
o Monthly meetings with production teams (women’s groups who are producing the high-protein food supplement)
 Repaired two broken grinders with new auger helices
 Recipe trials with production teams
 Purchase of seeds for production teams
 Collection of high-protein food supplement and distribution to NHC
 Construction of 1 solar dryer, to dry moringa leaves
o Conducted 4 agriculture sensitization seminars with local farmers
o On-going monitoring of seed recipients’ fields
• Chicken Project
o To promote children’s consumption of sustainable animal protein
o On-going monitoring of health and wellness of chickens
o Follow-up and vaccination for local farmer raising exotic layer hens
o In October 2007, 748 eggs distributed to Nyahuka Health Center
o On-farm trainings regarding chicken management and fodder establishment
• Matiti Dairy Goat Project
o To promote children’s consumption of sustainable animal protein by distributing dairy goats; Over 50 goats distributed in April 2007
o Matings between local goats and exotic dairy goats
o On-going monitoring and treatment for dairy goats; De-worming of goats
o Agroforestry sensitization seminars
o Goat management training in Kirindi Parrish
o Management of a Matiti dairy goats demonstration farm
 Planting of bananas, phase II
 Planting of beans in banana field, phase I
 Desucking and pruning of banana plantation
o On-farm trainings with Naksiona Women’s Group regarding goat management, chicken management, and fodder establishment