Malnutrition is one of the prominent challenges in the Southern regions of Tanzania, despite being the main producers of food. In 2015, studies show that more than 2.7 million Tanzanian children under 5 years of age were estimated to be stunted and more than 600,000 were suffering from acute malnutrition, of which 100,000 were severe cases. Ten regions account for 58 percent of all stunted children and five regions account for half of the children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Tanzania.  

To address this challenging situation, Jidi provided Nutrition Consultancy services for CEFA to promote good household nutrition through sensitization and training to reduce malnutrition in tea farming communities. The assignment is within the framework of the EU-funded project “Improving income and nutrition of smallholder tea farmers in Southern Tanzania.”

The assignment aims to reduce malnutrition “stunting” in particular, which is high in the main tea-growing districts. Jidi supported CEFA to conduct training for Nutrition reference persons, Field agents, and Extension Officers, organizing a campaign aimed at promoting good nutritional practices in tea farming villages and then developing a working tool focusing on the life cycle approach to nutrition for use by CHWs and other cooperative leaders in disseminating key nutrition messages to their communities.

More than 100 participants from Iringa, Mbeya, and Njombe received the training in Iringa region. We hope that they will bring about transformational changes in their communities, practice suitable nutrition values in their households and reduce malnutrition “stunting” in the tea-growing districts.