The Ministry of Health, Permanent Secretary for Technical Services, Kennedy Lishimpi, yesterday officially opened the Girls Education and Women’s Empowerment and Livelihood (GEWEL) 2 national project inception meeting that will run for two days.

Dr Lishimpi says this initiative supported by the World Bank marks a pivotal moment in the ministry’s collective movement to address under nutrition in communities particularly in Chibombo and Monze districts.

He was speaking at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka.

The Permanent Secretary stated that the role of the Ministry of Health in GEWEL 2 is to implement targeted nutrition specific interventions that promote optimal nutrition practices which include, maternal infant and young child nutrition to ensure that critical periods of growth and development are supported through appropriate feeding practices.

Dr Lishimpi also added that the other practice done by the ministry is to track and enhance the health and nutrition status of young children.

He mentioned that the nutrition component of GEWEL 2 aims to improve the nutrition status among poor households with a pregnant ,lactating woman or a child under two years.

Dr Lishimpi said the preliminary report for the 2024 Zambia demographic health survey revealed that a lot of nutritional indicators have not performed very well compared to 2018 .

The Permanent Secretary said according to the Zambia demographic health survey In 2018 about 58% of children aged 6-59 months and 41% of pregnant women were reported to be anaemic .

He said this is the reason GEWEL 2 will be supporting the use of multiple micronutrient supplements to mitigate the burden unless there is input  from other sectors.

Dr Lishimpi has since called for a multi-sectoral approach in addressing malnutrition, and that implementation of nutrition intervention should involve different sectors such as agriculture, water and sanitation, education, community development and social services, local government, fisheries and livestock and as well as the Vice President’s office.

He thanked the World Bank for the support to the Ministry of Health , saying the institution is equal to the task and will commit to ensure that with the support the nutritional status of children and women of child bearing age in Chibombo and Monze definitely improves.

The GEWEL Project which was launched in 2016 is being jointly implemented in 81 districts across the country by the Ministry of Community Development & Social Services (MCSS), Ministry of Education (MOE), and the Gender Division under Cabinet Office.