First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo at the launch of ReMMap
First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo has moved a step further with her charity work in children’s health, with the launch of a new initiative.
The ‘Reducing Malaria & Malnutrition in Priority Populations (ReMMap) Initiative’ will bring the two health conditions that affect children and burden the growth and development of the country to the forefront of national discourse.
ReMMap would also support actions to scale-up effective malaria prevention methods activities and treatment interventions and invest in breastfeeding and child nutrition, thus, ensuring that no Ghanaian child born today ends up severely malnourished and suffer the attended consequences of compromised growth or death.
Mrs Akufo-Addo, who is the chair of the Infanta Malaria Prevention Foundation, stated that ensuring that preventable diseases and ill-health like malaria and malnutrition, particularly under-nutrition, do not claim more lives, is what has driven her team to lead the agenda towards reducing malaria and malnutrition.
The first lady added that Ghana has made significant gains in the control of malaria in recent years. However, a significant number of Ghanaian children, adolescent girls and women of reproductive age suffer from anaemia and other forms of under-nutrition.
According to the Ghana Health and Demographic Survey, one in five children in Ghana is stunted, a condition that results from poor nutrition, inadequate care and unhealthy living conditions.
Mrs Akufo-Addo, thus, affirmed her resolve to ensure a reduction by a third the proportion of both malnourished and severely malnourished children, under the age of five years in Ghana from 2016 levels by the end of 2020 and to contribute to the reduction of malaria in pregnant women and children under age five from selected communities and suburbs by end of 2020.
“We will, therefore, work to reduce malaria and malnutrition by strengthening CHPS, support the establishment of systems and ways to protect breastfeeding and the woman to do her God-given job of nurturing children and take advantage of the new food and agriculture initiative that seeks to improve availability of food for our children so they don’t go hungry and are well nourished,” she added.
Susan Namondo Ngongi, UNICEF Country representative, expressed her pleasure that the first lady was continuing the work she has been engaged in the past twelve years on malaria and leading the nation in stepping up efforts on malnutrition.
She said the initiative was timely, as it was happening at a time when the global development community is stepping up effort on malnutrition and requested the first lady to be a champion on malnutrition in Ghana.
“UNICEF is, therefore, very pleased that our Excellency has made the right choice to work on malaria and malnutrition. No child should be left die from either condition and all children should survive in their growth and development,” she stated.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri