Mozambique gets Child Parliament's views on nutrition and child survival

In late September, 10 Children from Mozambique’s Child Parliament gave recommendations to their government, calling for children’s malnutrition issues to be included in the national policy agenda. The event was attended by members of civil society organizations, the Provincial Director of Agriculture and Food Security on behalf of the governor, other provincial decision makers, and the media, and co-organized by Save the Children, UNICEF, World Vision and SETSAN.

The focus was on child survival and nutrition - to discuss the progress made on government's commitment towards ending child malnutrition. Members of the child parliament read out their recommendations on combating child malnutrition. Among those who attended were media, civil society leaders, medical representatives and government officials. Save the Children presented these recommendations to the government asking them to accelerate the development of an official Action Plan to combat chronic malnutrition.

Kino Caetano, the President of Quelimane Child Parliament, delivered the following message: 

“The Children's Parliament emphasizes the fundamental role of the government and NGOs concerning the reduction, minimization of rates of chronic malnutrition, and recognize the efforts that have been made in order to stop this harm. The Children's Parliament knows that they play a key role in children mobilizing, as the Children's Parliament is from child to child, and encourages ownership of children in the particular subject (....) there is still much to be done, very much! We children asked the government and NGOs not to stop working, along with the Children's Parliament, so that they can greatly minimize these cases, because according to the data, 43% of children under five in the country suffer from chronic malnutrition. We ask the government to eliminate chronic malnutrition and that this continue to be a priority on the national agenda, because only then can we eradicate chronic malnutrition. To finish, thanks for the invitation to the Children's Parliament, and let me say: nothing about us without us". 

Ilidio Bande, the Provincial Director of Agriculture and Food Security on behalf of the governor, said the following: 

“Chronic malnutrition still takes lives of our children. The government, through health promotion campaigns, breastfeeding campaigns, lectures, training of Community Committees of Health and through the Communities Health Workers, is making every effort so that children under 5 years may have care and medical assistance required. It is true that resources are scarce, the health facilities are far away, there is a lack of technical and skilled personnel, there is a shortage of staff who are on the front line to save children's lives. But these challenges can only be overcome together - each doing little, and therefore best to reverse this scenario.”