First Lady takes feeding programme to mixed race community. . . spells out need to give children healthy dishes

Tendai Rupapa, Senior Reporter

HEALTH and Child Care ambassador, First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, has discouraged families from feeding children non-nutritive meals in the name of modernity, but rather revert to traditional dishes that are healthier, body-building and facilitate cognitive development.

She made the remarks in the mixed race community of Sunningdale, Harare, where, through her schools feeding programme, she prepared meals which were served to hundreds of children in line with her mission to provide good nutrition and meet the children’s health needs.

The visit also fulfilled her mission of leaving no place and no one behind.

The mouth-watering food she prepared on open fires with the help of women from the community and teachers comprised sugar beans, sadza, rice, nhopi, beef, chicken, vegetables, pumpkins, tripe and offals.

The children also enjoyed some fruits, courtesy of the mother of the nation, who also washed heaps of plates and pots after feeding them at the well-subscribed event.

Dr Mnangagwa said though she has visited the mixed race community on various occasions, yesterday’s visit was unique as it focused on little children.

She said she launched the schools feeding programme to complement Government’s effort to reintroduce feeding in schools.

“The focus of this programme is to capacitate our children with proper nutrition that fuels optimum growth. Brain development and knowledge acquisition, are closely linked to the foods our children ingest and nutrients such as omegas and fatty acids are known to help preserve memory and ease knowledge uptake to the brain. Everyday foods such as tomatoes also help to fight memory loss and carrots are known to optimise vision.

“Our children are at a critical stage in their lives where their bodies are still growing and they need proper feeding that enables them to grow. Maintaining a balanced diet is precarious from the weaning up to the adolescent stage. Our children are required to eat a variety of foods from each food component to ensure ideal intake of all vitamins and minerals,” she said.

Poor nutrition, the First Lady said, compromises both the quality of life of school-going pupils and also their potential to benefit from education.

This, she said, was because when children go to school on empty stomachs, their minds will be too strained to concentrate and this hinders effective learning.

“Undernourishment also causes stunted growth and conditions such as kwashiorkor, which we can eradicate if we feed them a balanced diet. We want these children to flourish in their studies and also to have an equal opportunity to succeed despite their backgrounds.

“This is why I am here today to encourage other mothers to give our children healthy and fulfilling meals. Let us incorporate our traditional foods in their diets for they are not only rich in nutrients but accessible and affordable as well,” she said.

Foods such as dried vegetables with peanut butter (mufushwa), sadza remhunga, rezviyo, remapfunde, sweet potatoes and madora are all better than the calories contained in processed foods, Dr Mnangagwa said.

“Let us desist from feeding our children non-nutritive meals in the name of modernity but rather let us go back to what our ancestors ate as these are healthier, body building and cognitive development foods.

We are now in the time of Pfumvudza, let us not plant our maize once a year, but wherever there is access to water in order to make sure that our families never go hungry,” she added.

Community gardens, the First Lady emphasised, must be resuscitated so that children can have nourishing food at little cost.

“I would like to implore all women in the community to continue with this initiative; it should not end here today, which is why we have made you part of this feeding programme.

“I have come here only to ignite the flame and now it is your duty to keep the fire burning. From the experience which you have gathered here today, I am confident that you will continue this programme of preparing healthy meals for our children. They are the future of the country, so let us treasure them.

“Those who are in business, I encourage you to donate to this cause so that the children in our communities can benefit. We hope to have mini-granaries as a community, to stock the ingredients for schools in order to prepare healthy meals during school hours. Please support this initiative as we quest to introduce nutritious feeding in schools, thereby creating a conducive learning environment,” she said.

The mother of the nation urged schools to set aside and prepare land to plant crops for the pupils’ meals.

She hinted on the need for short season crop varieties and a variety of vegetables such as cabbage and tomatoes for balanced nutrient uptake.

“To the pregnant and lactating mothers who are present today, I urge you to eat healthy, whole and nutritious food. Let us not shun our traditional foods as they help us prevent chronic illnesses such as cancer, obesity, heart and lung problems. This guarantees that the foetus has optimum growth. To the breastfeeding mothers, food such as roasted peanuts, spinach, sour porridge and maheu help increase milk production for our babies. Dried meat with peanut butter, mufushwa une dovi are rich in sources of calcium and protein, which are essential for bone development,” she said.

She added; “Please madzimai, see to it that our children are always smart and eat in hygienic plates, food that is well-cooked and nourishing. We want our communities to have granaries like in years gone by where the elderly had granaries to store traditional food to give to schools and we prepare the food ourselves.”

Permanent Secretary for Harare Metropolitan Province Dr Tafadzwa Muguti paid glowing tribute to the First Lady for her countless programmes aimed at improving the health of the nation.

“In the fourth quarter you were launching the urban transformation programme in Dzivarasekwa where you started a programme of gardens and encouraging schools to have gardens. We have many families working in those gardens, whose produce will also be used in the schools feeding programme. We are aware that you started Agric4She projects across all 10 provinces and again this year you rolled out a national potato farming programme in Manicaland where you asked every family to produce a hectare of potatoes. We are seeing that your programmes focusing on food security are coming back to schools and coming back at household level. We are glad for your coming here and that you have set a standard at this school. All that is now left is for the provincial education directorate to be involved and carry this programme forward. We are seeing that our mother is working without rest to reduce poverty and give people resources to bring about social transformation,” Mr Muguti said.

Evangelist Nelly Gwatidzo spoke on the growth and nutrition of children, covering topics such as pregnancy, lactation and weaning of the child.

“Our mother, the First Lady is saying vanamai let us do away with non-nutritive food because they have no value for our children. A child must be weaned using nutritious foods like maheu, potatoes, porridge with peanut butter and other foods that builds bodies. As the child grows, their health must be watched closely. Some children today ate what they have never been served at home like nhopi and they really loved it.

“At home some mothers just fry valueless food but what the children have taken today, will make them stronger and grow healthy if served such regularly. Our mother is saying what has happened today must not end here, so let us go and do it at home,” she said.

Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services Chaplain Christine Phiri emphasised the need for families to work hard to ensure they provide adequately for their children and praised the First Lady for her income-generating projects and unconditional love for mankind.

“The First Lady has said when the child has been weaned, the parents, especially the mother must work for the children so that they eat healthy food. She asked what we shall do because some women are idle and have nothing to give the children. She then came up with life-changing projects and also encouraged schools to have gardens and orchards. From there, she came up with the Agri4She programme so that women are taught to grow traditional grains that are nutritious. Amai is saying women must rise and work for their children. Where I grew up in Rusape some children become infamous for eating at other people’s houses yet their mothers will be present. The father will be dead drunk every day. Amai varikuda vanhu vanoita mabasa emawoko. We want to thank our mother for the feeding programme,” she said.

Amai Mnangagwa donated multi-grain maize-meal and instant porridge to schools for the feeding programme to continue.

In addition, she donated sanitary pads to the girls.

Bulawayo arts group, Iyasa provided entertainment.