Liberia/A project to reduce chronic malnutrition among children in Liberia
Over the past ten years, Liberia has made considerable progress in development, trying to reduce poverty and improve access to basic services for its population, after years of crisis marked by the Ebola epidemic and, more recently, COVID-19.
Despite this progress, food insecurity and malnutrition remain a major concern in the country. To achieve its strategic country goal 2021-2025 "to improve nutrition, maternal, newborn and child health and WASH services in Liberia by 2025" Action contre la Faim is working closely with national and local authorities, as well as international and local partners, to reduce chronic malnutrition.
Infant mortality, a national scourge
The country ranks among the world's worst nations in terms of child health, with mortality rates for children under five, infants and newborns at 93, 63, and 37 per 1,000 live births respectively, among the highest in the world¹.
Rural areas are the hardest hit by child mortality due to inadequate access to health services, and the main causes of death are malaria, diarrhea and acute respiratory infections, diseases that are generally preventable and curable. More specifically, diseases related to water, sanitation and hygiene contribute significantly to undernutrition and reduce a person's ability to meet their nutritional needs. A total of 37% of deaths in children under five are due to pneumonia or diarrhoea², both of which are affected by water, sanitation and hygiene.
In addition, the World Bank's 2020 report estimates Liberia's national poverty rate for 2021 at 52.1%, while the Liberia Demographic and Health Survey of Liberia 2019-2020 showed that 30% of children under five suffer from stunting, three (3) % from wasting and 11% from underweight. These data indicate that the country has high levels of food insecurity and poverty, as well as an alarming nutritional status.
In addition, Liberia's dependence on food imports is taking a heavy toll on the country, and is making it all the more fragile at present due to the rapid rise in world food, fuel and fertilizer prices, largely as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russia.
A consortium to combat under-nutrition
Through the Liberia WASH Consortium (LWC), set up in 2007, the associations Action contre la Faim, Concern Worldwide and WaterAid, and with financial support from Irish Aid, are helping to reduce chronic malnutrition by tackling the main factors of undernutrition in the counties of Montserrado and Grand Bassa.
"This project really has a cross-cutting approach to tackling the root causes of malnutrition," explains Laurence Gros, Country Director for Action contre la Faim in Liberia. "The activities are very diverse, ranging from the rehabilitation or construction of water points or latrines, to the promotion of nutrition and health care practices, advice for pregnant and breastfeeding women, nutritional screening of children under five and referral to the nearest health facility, identification of the causes of malnutrition, and the provision of health care.health facility, identification and referral of preventable childhood illnesses (cough, diarrhoea and fever) and raising awareness of various health, hygiene and sanitation issues".
In 70 communities, the consortium assists nearly 80,000 people, with a focus on empowerment for long-term results. For example, through Village Savings and Credit Associations (VSCAs), the project supports the economic empowerment of women: from October 2023 to March 2024, 514 women in 28 communities collected more than 90,000 euros to buy food for domestic consumption, pay school fees for their children and cover healthcare costs for their families, as well as to launch their own income-generating activities.
"Thanks to these savings, I have invested in my business and am now a proud homeowner," explains Esther Flomo, one of the people supported by the consortium. "I'm fully invested in the community, for which I contribute to decision-making.
These AVECs are also the driving force behind other projects, such as setting up vegetable gardens in the communities. Typically, 15 to 30 people work on a two- to four-hectare plot, growing a variety of vegetables ranging from cassava and potatoes to cabbage, eggplant, sweet potato and okra.
They also generate income for community members, enabling them to save, cover school fees and pay for health services.
With the aim of meeting the needs and strengthening the livelihoods of local people and farmers, the project has invested in and supplied cassava mills to the communities of Dogbalon, Montserrado and Meme Town, Grand Bassa, to improve the efficiency of cassava processing.
Traditionally, the production of cassava flour (known in Liberia as farina or gari) was a labor-intensive process. Without access to a cassava mill, it takes one person a full working day to produce a 50 kg bag of cassava, compared with around ten minutes with a cassava milling machine.
The reduction in the cost of producing gari has encouraged more farmers in the community to grow cassava, enabling them to generate higher incomes.
The challenge of access to drinking water
Lack of access to drinking water and adequate sanitation makes families particularly vulnerable to water-borne diseases. Nationwide, only 75%³ of the population has access to drinking water, and almost 38% of people practice open defecation.
The consortium's associations are focusing their efforts on providing access to Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) services in urban and rural areas of Liberia. The project not only strengthens community structures and regional players to ensure the sustainability of WASH facilities, but also advocates public policies to improve the quality of these services in Liberia.
As part of the AVEC program, communities work closely with EAH committees to reduce open defecation by building household latrines. This is the case of the Kolleh-Long family, who have benefited from a new latrine in their garden. " These latrines have changed our daily lives, and we have realized that this sanitary installation has had a real impact on our health and dignity.
Source: www.actioncontrelafaim.org
