Ethiopia’s child malnutrition rate down by 20% in 16 years – UNICEF

Siddig Ibrahim Ethiopia Representative of UN International Children and Emergency Fund (UNICEF) says Ethiopia has made significant progress in reducing child malnutrition for children aged six to 23 months.

Ibrahim said on Thursday in Addis Ababa that the malnutrition rate went down from 58 per cent in 2000 to 38 per cent in 2016.

He also attributed the East African country’s success to government commitment to end malnutrition.

Ibrahim said that Ethiopia was committed to further reducing stunting among children to ensure the wellbeing of children and sustained economic growth.

Ephrem Tekle Director of Maternal and Child Health at the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, said that the period from six to eight months when children transit from exclusive breastfeeding to crop-based complimentary feeding were critical.

“As these periods are crucial for the healthy growth of children, the government has been engaged in community mobilisation works through health and agriculture extension programmes to reduce child malnutrition,’’ he said.

Tekle said that the monthly child malnutrition monitoring programme and feeding of children suffering from stunting was also one of the strategies that had been implemented to improve the complimentary feeding practice throughout the country.

A study conducted by UNICEF shows an estimated 5.7 million children are stunted in Ethiopia due to the combined effects of poor malnutrition, repeated infection and inadequate psychosocial stimulation.