Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition (CSO-SUN) Alliance says it has started conducting a budget advocacy so that government may prepare a national budget that will adequately allocate money towards nutrition programs in the country.
Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, Organization Country Coordinator Mathews Mhuru said now that the country is in the period of the budget making process, it is important for government to apportion enough resources to Nutrition sensitive interventions that can help the country to reduce dependency on donors in order to tackle and eliminate all forms of malnutrition.
“Now that Zambia is in the period of the budget making process, we are also doing our budget advocacy so that government at the end of the day would prepare a national budget that adequately allocates money towards nutrition programs.
“Programs such as Nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions that can help the country to reduce dependency on donors for Zambia to tackle and eliminate all forms of malnutrition,” Mr. Mhuru said.
And Mr. Mhuru disclosed that the organization is working in partnership with both the Church and private sector to respond to food shortages in some parts of the country affected by drought.
He added that in Lunga district of Luapula Province, the organization has spent about K300, 000 on the purchase of high protein food while close to half a million Kwacha has be spent on relief food which has since been distributed to other parts of the country.
“We have spent close to half a million Kwacha on relief food which has been distributed to different parts of the country especially those affected by floods such as Lunga district in Luapula Province.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Mhuru said the organization has spent about K100, 000 for women empowerment programs in Western and some parts of Southern Province in a bid to support local women with some livelihood programs.
“The CSO-SUN has spent close to about K100, 000 for women empowerment programs for putting up structures like chicken runs. We are empowering women who may have children that frequent hospitals with fever or moderate malnutrition, we are supporting local women with some livelihood programs.”
“We are looking at expanding some of these programs so that we have a wider coverage,” he stated.