Key Line Ministries

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Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environment

The Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environment is responsible for ensuring the provision of safe water and good sanitation aimed at improving health. Over the years the ministry has been collaborating with the NFNC to address one of the immediate causes of malnutrition, that is, reduction of diseases such as diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, malaria and intestinal worms. This involves not only improving water and sanitation but also incorporating nutrition sensitive messages. The ministry implements its activities through the National Rural Water and Sanitation Supply Programme (NRWSSP) and the National Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (NUWSSP).

Ministry of Health (MoH)

The MoH directs the food and nutrition policy development and implementation and manages the operations of the NFNC. The ministry contributes to reduction of malnutrition through various women empowerment schemes. It provides more of curative services such as the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition and supports lower levels through procuring of equipment (e.g. scales, height boards, iodine test kits among others), materials (especially Information Education Comunication materials, procedure & training manuals), supplements such as vitamin A and iron, and other logistics needed to carry out nutrition interventions.

Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock

Being a key player in meeting food and nutrition security in the nation, the Ministry of Agriculture has been in collaboration with the NFNC towards the attainment of a nutrition sensitive agriculture sector. Emphasis has been placed on reducing malnutrition with particular focus on stunting. This has been done through promotion of home gardens to increase production and diversity of crops and livestock. This is expected to lead to dietary diversity and thus improve nutrition at household level. In addition, promoting safe food processing, preservation and storage to increase availability during the dry seasons is also being advocated for.

Ministry of General Education (MoGE)

The MoGE is a channel through which the nutrition sector promotes and supports nutrition activities in schools. This is in the hope of improving good nutrition behaviour practices among learners and eventually in households and communities.

Ministry of Higher Education

The Ministry of Higher Education Host the majority of training institutions which offers nutrition courses either as a training programmes or covered as shorting courses. The University of Zambia (UNZA), The National Resources Development College (NRDC) for instance offer BSc Human nutrition and Diploma in nutrition respectively.

Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS)

The MCDSS by virtue of its mandate focuses on ensuring the provision of quality maternal and child health services in order to reduce maternal and child morbidity and mortality. Moreover, the MCDSS also has a social protection department that provides equitable social protection services to communities in order to improve their livelihoods and reduce extreme poverty. Currently, the department is working with the NFNC to develop social protection messages that are nutrition sensitive. Some interventions such as the Food Security Pack (FSP), social cash transfer, social cash transfer scheme and women clubs are already integrating nutrition messages.

Other Ministries

The NFNC is also strengthening relationships with other ministries such as the Ministry of Gender and Child Development; the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development; the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs and the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources to ensure that their mandate of addressing nutrition as a development issue is given attention.