By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, Oct. 03, GNA – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Advancing Nutrition project implemented in Northern Ghana has strengthened about 340 village savings and loans associations and mother – to – mother support groups to improve household nutrition and resilience.
With about GH¢3 million saved in 16 months, the project has increased women’s access to financial resources and knowledge on nutrition, putting them in a better position to invest in the nutrition of their families and helping to build resilient communities.
The three-year project, implemented from 2020 in 17 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Northern, North East, Upper East, Upper West and Savannah Regions, was funded by the United States Government through the USAID.
The project, three years after its implementation, reached out to 55 districts in the five regions of the North.
Mr Serlome Kofi Azumah, Chief of Party, USAID/Advancing Nutrition Ghana, addressing stakeholders in Tamale to officially close out the project, said it had supported the Ghana
Health Service to improve infant, and young child feeding and responsive caregiving in four districts with increases in minimum dietary diversity and acceptable diet for children.
The event was held under the theme: “Deepening the Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Agenda – The USAID Advancing Nutrition Story.”
Mr Azumah said it had also supported the establishment of district nutrition coordination committees and revitalised the scaling up of nutrition cross-sectoral planning group as well as the national nutrition partners coordination committee.
He said: “We aided the National Development Planning Commission to develop guidelines for mainstreaming food and nutrition security into district medium – term development plans.”
Dr Dzisi Stephen, Deputy Office Director, Health Population and Nutrition Office, USAID Ghana said Ghana expressed need for more collaboration between government and other organisations to eliminate malnutrition in the country.
Madam Patricia Amadu, Northern Regional Nutrition Officer, said the project had helped to train over 6,000 health workers in areas of anemia prevention and community engagement on acute malnutrition, among others. Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister commended USAID/Advancing Nutrition Ghana and partners for implementing the project saying, “The project has brought about relief and reforms in the improvement of nutrition of women and children in the regions.”
GNA