In response to the rising malnutrition crisis in Sindh, a two-year support action, funded by the European Union, aimed at strengthening community based organizations in five districts to combat malnutrition was launched at a ceremony held here on Friday.
The initiative aims at addressing malnutrition in five adversely affected districts of Kashmore, Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur, and Nosheroferoze in Sindh province. The 6 million euros project, co-funded by the European Union, will be implemented jointly by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Medical Emergency Resilience Foundation (MERF) and the Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO).
Speaking at the event Mr Carlo De Rosa, Development Advisor for Rural Development and Nutrition at the EU delegation to Pakistan, said that “from global experiences it is well established that ensuring nutrition security requires a collaborative, multi-sectoral approach that involves diverse stakeholders, with local CSOs playing an integral role”.
He further stated that the project will improve the quality and coverage of interventions, foster synergies for ‘nutrition-specific’ approaches and will ultimately provide an enabling environment to shape political, institutional and policy processes for addressing malnutrition.
In her remarks, Country Director, IRC Pakistan, Shabnam Baloch, acknowledged European Union for it financial assistance to carry forward nutrition agenda and noted that “Cultivating a future free from malnutrition requires us to harness the strength and wisdom of local civil society organizations. They are the compass guiding us towards healthier, more vibrant communities.”
She further stated that nutrition matters for us and we at IRC are committed to strengthening our programs to deliver nutrition focused interventions for addressing the escalating impacts of Climate Change aggravating the malnutrition situation in Pakistan.
