Delegates of the World Bank Supervision Mission have expressed satisfaction with how the Malawi Government, through its development partners is implementing the K13.5 billion World Bank and Canadian Development Agency funded Support for Nutrition Improvement Component (SNIC) Project in the country.

Speaking Wednesday in an interview with Mana after touring SNIC activities at Kadzakalowa Village in Ntcheu, World Bank Supervision Mission Task Team Leader, Ziauddin Hyder said the bank is impressed to note that the five-year project which aims at reducing stunting in the country is on the right track.

“I am glad to note that there is good collaboration amongst government line ministries and departments and non-governmental organizations, a thing which is of paramount importance in the implementation of this project,” said Hyder who is also World Bank’s Senior Nutrition Specialist, Africa Health, Nutrition and Population.

He said he was also pleased with the community’s enthusiasm and willingness to change their social behaviours and practices to promote sanitation and hygiene which is one of the components and modules of the project.

On the problem of availability of potable water in some parts of the country, Hyder said his organization would take up the issue with government, non-governmental organizations and other development partners to see if some could be done even beyond the scope of the project.

Also speaking in an exclusive interview, Director of Nutrition in the Department of Nutrition, HIV and AIDS in the Ministry of Health, Felix Phiri said the project which was launched in 2012 and is expected run up to 2017, has already registered an impact. “Stunting in Malawi was at 48 per cent in 2004 and recent studies have established that stunting has been reduced to 42 per cent, and we can happily attribute this development to the project,” said Phiri.

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