The fight against child malnutrition in Mozambique received a new boost this week. Millennium bim and World Vision Mozambique formalised a partnership to implement the “Zero Malnutrition in Tropene” project, an initiative designed to strengthen health and nutrition interventions in the district of Memba, in Nampula province.
In a context in which thousands of children remain vulnerable to malnutrition, the two institutions decided to join forces in a response that aims to reach closer to the affected communities, committing to integrated and sustainable action.
The project will support children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers through actions combining nutrition, education and community mobilisation, with priority given to the areas considered most vulnerable.
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding took place at World Vision Mozambique's premises and included a symbolic moment: children representing the beneficiaries took part in the ceremony, in front of the representatives of the two institutions.
During the ceremony, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of Millennium bim, Rui Pedro, highlighted the human and urgent dimension of the problem.
“Child malnutrition is not a distant issue. It is a reality that demands continuity, closeness to communities and a real ability to turn support into concrete results,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the children of the district of Memba — one of the regions covered by the Nutrition Dialogues — one of the participants argued for the need to strengthen the recommendations arising from that community process.
She said it is essential to increase awareness campaigns, implement nutrition education programmes in schools and encourage greater community involvement in adopting healthy eating practices. The representative also expressed hope that the new partnership will help address these concerns.
In all, close to 1,800 children are expected to benefit directly from the actions planned under the project.
For her part, the National Director of World Vision Mozambique, Dr Maria Carolina da Silva, considered that cooperation between the two organisations represents an important step in the fight against one of the country's most persistent social challenges.
“Child malnutrition is not just a health issue, but a national development challenge, demanding urgent and coordinated action so that together we can quicken our pace towards this bold and imperative goal of eliminating child malnutrition. This is possible! And today we are witnessing a step towards that aim,” said Carolina.
The partnership is part of the two institutions' ongoing commitment to promoting initiatives with social impact, strengthening the protection and well-being of Mozambican children and communities.
