To reduce malnutrition in six districts of the central province of Zambezia, the United States government, through its Agency for International Development (USAID), will allocate $75 million over five years to support the initiatives. The assistance is part of a programme called Okhokelamo ni Solho (Resilient Nutrition, in Elomwe) initiative, which works to prevent chronic undernutrition in children.

A report released on March 22 claims that early childhood malnutrition hinders development throughout life and that the rural areas of Zambezia have particularly high indicators. 45% of children under the age of five are stunted and 77% are anemic.

Community leaders will participate in the Okhokelamo ni Solho programs, which concentrate on the nutritional requirements of mothers, children, and girls and work in coordination with government health services. The program will provide further aid by distributing nutrient-rich food items to impoverished households during the rainy season when food variety is noticeably reduced.

The report reads that “Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which also affected Zambezia in March, demonstrates the importance of resilient and ready communities in the districts taking part in Okhokelamo. The project is planned to collaborate closely with other USAID food and nutrition-related efforts targeted at Zambezia as part of the Feed the Future (FTF) initiative in order to maximize its impact on resilience”.

The US government’s overall support to Mozambique is said to be heavily reliant on the development of maternal and child nutrition. According to the paper, the US contributes more than US$700 million yearly in close cooperation with the Mozambique government to boost economic prosperity, assist national growth, and improve the quality of education and healthcare.