Thursday 17 November 2011

MALNUTRITION


Article Title: Mal-nutrition in Moyo district
MALNUTRITION

Moyo Hospital is government hospital in Uganda, in northern part of the country and the research carried out in Moyo Hospital indicates the number of mannerists increases in the last three years.
Malnutrition.
This is a medical condition caused by lack of eating enough or right food in the body for better health and hygiene.

An old woman in Metu Sub County stayed without testing food for three days by the time the nutritionist visited her. No body to help her. She lives alone.

Reference points:
According to 2008/2009 Financial Year report from Moyo hospital Nutritionist Mr. Koma Mote, number of children admitted with acute severe Mal-Nutrition is 146 (M 92,F54).Out of this 16 died, 94 cured and discharged, 06 referred for further management, 04 defaulted (their mothers) and 26 were non respondent (take long to recover and needs constant follow up).
Summary report on Mini Nutrition survey carried 1st  July 2009
The main target population was children aged 6-59 months living in Moyo District.  Out of eight sub counties namely, Moyo, Dufile, Metu, Lefori, Itula, Gimara, Aliba and Moyo Town Council, only Aliba and Metu have been sampled.
The main objectives were the following:
  • Estimate the prevalence of acute malnutrition
  • Understand the causes of malnutrition.
Findings
Prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM) was 19.1% while severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) was 5.2% in the sample population. Theses figure are both higher than the required standards of World Health Organization (WHO/GAM 15% and SAM 1%). Therefore, according to the survey, the prevalence of malnutrition for under the age of fives in Moyo District is alarming. According to the hospital nutritionist Mr. Koma Mote, stunting was 40% which is above the national average of 38%. Under weight is 32% above the national average of 16%-18%.  Severely acute malnutrition was found at 18% while the national average is 6%.
The above information shows that Moyo District has alarming situation which needs an urgent humanitarian action.
 Acute severe malnutrition from Metu sub county field photo: 14/September/2011

                      Acute severe malnutrition from Metu sub-county (Field visit 11/9/2011

Acute severe malnutrition from Dufile sub county field photo: 12/August/2011
Target Audience.



    




The target group is the households, local council one and women council 

members in the village, head teachers, leaders in religious institutions and all the blog user

The members of finance and planning committee of Moyo Catholic parish have been trained on the topic:  Harmonizing spiritual development with economic development: The church and resource mobilization, committed, self motivated and self driven staff very good at voluntary service.The community members very much appreciate the creative ideas (innovation) of AAP.
        
          CURRENT CHALLENGES          
         The organization lacks funds to acquire the following basic resources:
  • Means of transport (motor vehicle, motor bikes) for out reach programmes and taking members produces to market places.
  • Computers for keeping information are not there
  • Farm implements such as ox-plough and tractor for commercial farming are lacking.
  • AAP does not have a projector to easy sensitization
  • AAP does not have a generator/solar as source of power.
  • Lack adequate liquid cash to promote capacity building in Agro-Nutrition-Income
Current activities.
AAP is in partnership with Community for Rural Empowerment Development (CEFORD) moving in primary schools to advocate about the rights and responsibilities of teachers, pupils, School management committee, Parents and Teachers Association.

Conclusion.
Poor feeding is the main cause of mal-nutrition of all types and affects both under five, children and adults. It also contributes a lot to poor performs of pupils and students in schools.
Given positive attention to support the populaces, most of these set backs will be addressed and majority of the people will be raised out of the acquit poverty line.

 We shall be very grateful to organizations, groups of people and individuals who will be willing to support us in form of ideas and material resources in the struggle to fight and reduce the strength of the biting poverty said by Drati George.


Prepared by:
Field Officer
Jurugo Simon,Metu Maarifa Centre.

Thursday 10 November 2011

Youths and Farming.


 Youths and farming.
After exilic period, the government of Uganda has tried to introduce number of programs in the country to eradicate poverty especial in northern part of the country these includes National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), Plan to Modernize Agriculture (PMA) to promote the production of agriculture and Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF), and environmental Alert (E.A) also fully supports to increase peasants’ income level in the districts of Moyo, Adjumani and Yumbe respectively . 

Mr. Dralowi Charles & Innocent  trained farmers supervising their Maize  garden in Metu sub-county:Field visit 30th /09/2011

Despite all the above affirmative action, the majority of the population especially in Moyo district-Uganda that has seriously suffered for more than two decades (20 or more years) is still completely below the poverty line. In many homes, acquisition of basic needs such food and education is a big challenge. Some people have ever starved. Sons and daughters of the peasants hardly go to well to do schools.

 Mr. Drale & Drichi Richard trained farmer supervising their Cassava plantation in Metu Sub-county 
                                                        Field visit 14th /08/2011

Coupling with bad culture, the girl child education is marginalized. Generally, women have very little say on ownership of factors of production such as land, the children they produce and they themselves especially for those dowry(KBT) has been paid.
HIV/AIDS has made matters worse by claiming so many lives of the industrious age group leaving behind widows, orphans, and the elderly who cannot produce, but depend. As such, the dependent syndrome is very high.  This has caused frustration, low self esteem, stress and suicide. 
The management of action against poverty (AAP) decided to present the concept paper on: capacity building in agro- nutrition-income to provide solution to these matters (tragedy).  


Mr. Drale pruning some of the excess cassava stocks for re-planting in his field/garden in Metu Sub-county :Field visit 14th /08/2011

Advantages.
 The programme will benefit the members a lot and all the blogger users. When the capacity of the members is built, they will be able to produce enough food, consume enough in order to improve their Nutritional status and sell the excess for income for acquiring basic needs. They will be able to feed themselves well, send their children to better schools for better and quality education, get very good medical services and other ‘needs’ and ‘wants’.
AAP has the ability to secure more than ten (10) acres for the programme. There is readily available labour (group members will work at low cost as a demo plots).    

Conclusion.
Good hygiene promotes better health and living for all types of people regardless of children or adults. It also contributes a lot to good performance of pupils and students in schools.
Following positive attention to support the grassroots, most of these information will be addressed and majority of the people will be lifted out of the serious poverty.


Prepared by:
Field Officer
Metu Maarifa Centre.



Sunday 11 September 2011

INNOVATION PROGRAMME ON MONEY LENTING

Article1: Money lending.
CONCEPT PAPER ON: AGRO-NUTRITION

BACKGROUND.
Action against poverty is a Community Based Organization (CBO), Non-political, Non-profit making and Non-tribal. It is founded in 2003, and registered in 2006 with as a CBO with Moyo District Local Government with the registration number CR/AAP/20.

Action against poverty has been formed to undertake an integrated approach and provide solutions to drawbacks created by the catastrophic poverty (causing a lot of damage and suffering) in Northern Uganda to which Moyo and madi sub-region as whole.

Training of group members of Ariru Savings group on household IGA and savings
In the centre of the group is a box for saving.

Due to a number of reasons such as decades of socio-economic and political turmoil (exile period to the Sudan) and natural hazards, agriculture has gone down Mr. Drati George the coordinator of AAP said. Lot of lives were lost leading to shortage in human resource, stress, hatred, low production, low income, and mal-nutrition leading to catastrophic poverty.

Previous Achievements of AAP.
The organization has operational office in Moyo town in Okudi road.
More than twenty groups with average number of thirty per group (30x20x=600) have been trained in IGA and resource mobilization, household plan-making, household income generating activities (IGA) and household joint savings.
   Training of group members of Opikojo Saving’s group on household IGA and savings.

Training of group members of Ariru Saving’s group on household IGA and savings.

Conclusion.

Due to poor feeding culture and performance of pupils and students in schools cause all types of suffering and affects the upgrading of children and adults in their activities.

Given positive advice to support the populaces, most of these setbacks will be addressed and majority of the people will be raised out of the terrible poverty.

Prepared by:
Field Officer
Metu Maarifa Centre.


Tuesday 9 August 2011

MOYO BLIND UNITY – MOYO DISTRICT.


MOYO BLIND UNITY – MOYO DISTRICT.
The unit for the blind in Moyogirl’s primary school has started a way back in late 1960’s to cater for handicapped children who were taught with practical skills by Comboni Missionaries sisters.
Later on, the government of Uganda, ministry of education and culture by then took over the running of the unit.
The children in this unit come from parts of the world especially from the district of Adjumani, Moyo Arua and Nebbi. Others are coming from the democratic republic of Congo (DRC) and the republic of southern Sudan.
The children gathered together with their teachers at the old dormitory.
Currently, the unit for the blind holds others disabilities such as those who have communication difficulties (dumb) physically disability, partial visual impairment and those with ear problems.
The unit for the blind although has a hand of the government, it goes through many difficulties such as; lack of teaching personnel’s, lack of instructional materials, lack of proper facilities for toilets, dormitories and above all , poor feeding.
The above difficulties impels the school management to call for the parents of the unity to form an association which in future many do local fund –raising of collecting either food stuff or other materials that can give support to the unit in anyway.
Many parents, however during their meeting have expressed disappointment to some parents who have failed to care properly for their blind children.
                    Mr. Adrari who is blind giving a practical lesson to the pupils in the class room.
Testimonies were given by both parents and some of the blind people on the difficulties through a blind person go every day.
They expressed difficulties on the need of the blind child among which includes, love security, provision of basic needs, education and name them. It has been realise that many people like calling the disabled persons with nickname such as (Mio) in madi meaning without eyes or (Agavuru) meaning one who crawls etc………….certainly , this is not the case with the children in Moyo girls unit the blinds because they are loved and called by the names; they learn inclusively with the other children.
                                               The pupils are for their class work exercise.
In all, the unit has twenty seven children who are boarding and others who do operate from their homes especially the partial visual blind. The school has thirteen teachers with two have specialized in special needs education.
The school is located in Moyo sub-county near the catholic mission parish.
The location seeks to find favour from good Samaritans who may be church goers and extend hands to these needy children who have poor background.

Prepared by:
Tamale Robert (one of the teacher at the unit of blind).

(YAWA –MOYO MOYO)

(YAWA –MOYO MOYO)
The community of Metu /Moyo generally have a common locally produced alcohol called Moyo-Moyo. The Moyo-Moyo is produced by preparing cassava through fermenting, drying and pounding the cassava, once the cassava is pounded; it is mix with water and roasted on fire. The roasted substance is socked in water and mix with yeast to ferment for at least three to four days.


The process of distillation

It is then distilled and what people consume is the distillate; the soft drink.
However, this locally brewed alcohol is widely consumed by the locals.

Elders and youths gathered in a group at their leisure (for drinks).
Despite the side effects, many parents who brewed this local alcohol have succeeded in paying their children in school.
But since the alcohol is cheaply sold, and always available and affordable by majority of the populace (people); this has resulted into low labour production since majority of the mature and youths are involve in the heavy consumption of the drinks.

Too much consumption of moyo-moyo warms temperature.


Disadvantage.
Moyo-moyo the local alcohol brewed in Moyo district/Madi sub-region has left many families separated or divorce. This is because; too much consumption of this alcohol has left many men un-functional (They can’t provide the service expected of a man) indeed, many homes have collapsed and many children are suffering as a result of separation of their parents. Many children could not go to school or afford secondary education because of the family neglects or loss of job by parents because of drinking too much of moyo-moyo.
The Madi community (people) in their birth customary rites drops the alcohol in the mouth of the child on the day of naming the child after three days for male and four days for female.
This however has been castigated by the modern parents in order to get rid of these rites in the communities.
This locally brewed alcohol was formerly used for work. It is called (Oya) and people consumed it after the fatigue (work) of the day. It encouraged high production in labour and low level of food shortage (food insecurity in homes or community). But this is a vice versa with current/todays life.
It is still hoped that, the Madi people will revive the spirit of working together to uphold their livelihood.
Prepared by
Field officer , Metu Maarifa Centre.
Jurugo Simon Drikota.

Friday 17 June 2011

METU MAARIFA CENTRE FOCAL GROUP


Metu Maarifa Centre's focal group  developmental meeting


METU MAARIFA CENTRE


Community members visit the Maarifa Centre

Thursday 16 June 2011

COMPUTER TRAINING

Some of the community members getting free computer training from the Maarifa Centre