Child stunting alarming in Tanzania’s breadbasket

Dar es Salaam. Poor nutrition is serious challenge in Njombe where 49.4 per cent of under-fives are stunted.

That is the situation despite Njombe being one of major producers of food crops in Tanzania.

 Another major food crop producer, Rukwa, leads with 56.3 per cent of under-fives stunted while Ruvuma and Iringa follow with at 44.4 and 41.6 per cent respectively.

Leinisa Amulike, of Nyombo Dispensary in Njombe, warns that malnutrition is dangerous to children.

Amulike advises parents to feed their children well to ensure that their brains develop to do well in school.

“Most parents have no time for their children. They feed them improperly plan due to tight farm work. This is very dangerous to children’s growth.”

Nyombo villager Josephine Mfumbilwa had no knowledge of a balanced diet until her child fell sick. “Now I know that she needs good nutrition to grow.”

Regional nutrition officer Ester Kibona said failure to feed children well in their first 1,000 days causes stunting.