Treat and Prevent Malnutrition
Chronic hunger affects many people. According to the United Nations, 840 million women, men and children could suffer from hunger by 2030. Around one billion people already suffer from malnutrition. Incorrect and unbalanced nutrition endangers health and thus life.
Promoting Positive Nutrition Habits
In all our projects in the health field, at Johanniter we are committed to measures that prevent acute and chronic malnutrition and undernourishment. In this way, related diseases or deaths can be reduced or prevented. Meetings to exchange information about healthy nutrition or breastfeeding help to change behaviour in these matters in a positive way. The focus is primarily on the phase from the beginning of pregnancy to the second year of a child’s life, which is crucial for the child’s development. In special community-based programs, we combat acute malnutrition in children up to the age of five and pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Holistic Approach at Community Level
To ensure a balanced diet, we look at each community as a whole in the projects and gear our measures towards the "Positive Deviance Model". This involves identifying children with a balanced diet and then training their mothers to pass on their knowledge to other families in the community. In this way, solutions are jointly developed to improve the nutrition of the families with locally available knowledge and resources. In group meetings, nutritious and balanced meals are prepared together and the cultivation of vegetables is encouraged to improve the health and resistance of everyone.
