The project was designed to improve the nutrition level of children under the age of 5 years who are classified as malnourished as per standards established by the UNICEF, World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka. The two objectives of the project are to:
(i) improve nutrition level of a selected group of 220 malnourished children under 5 years as an immediate measure to help improve their health over a 90 day period; and
(ii) promote good nutrition practices to help improve child and maternal nutrition among the communities with higher incidences of malnutrition in the long term.
The project was implemented as a pilot in Trincomalee District where the child malnutrition rate is the fifth highest in the country, and was launched on May 03, 2013. The village of Paddalipuram in Muttur East where the project is implemented was badly affected by the three decade war, and many households in the area are headed by single mothers, and their income earning capacities are limited.
Participants for the feeding program were selected based on their weight and height for age and their growth is monitored over the 90 day feeding period. The feeding programme involves providing the malnourished children specially manufactured nutrition biscuits to help them accelerate their growth to be in par with the expected height and weight appropriate for their age. Out of 220 children under the program, 69% are classified as “Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM)”, 31% as “Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
Funds received have been fully spent on project activities, and the program has reached out to the planned beneficiary group. R C Colombo Regency together with R C Trincomalee will continue to monitor the program.
