Women - especially young mothers - are being targetted for nutrition education and sup sup garden skills by the hospital partnerships
The Women and Nutritional health services section of KGA is working with Choiseul KGA partner Sasamuqa Hospital to restart a succesful hospital garden. The garden, located behind the hospital has been revived following training by two garden workers on attachment with Kastom Gaden. The garden will provide food for hospital in patients, particularly targetting mothers and infants. At the same time it will demonstrate simple organic farming methods to make productive use of the sandy soil around the hospital.
Sup sup gardens are now being promoted again in Babatana area as part of the partnership agreement. In a previous program with Kastom Gaden in the late 1990s Sasamuqa hosptial and KGA were able to reduce the rate of infant malnutrition by 50% through careful training in sup sup gardens and advice to mothers with underweight children by nurses. It is hoped this success will be repeated.
Roselyn Kabu report that a Nutritional garden has also been established at Avu Avu and Madakacho clinics, on the Guadalcanal Weather Coast working with KGA partner Turusuala Community Based Training Centre.
Discussions held for similar program with Atoifi Hospital, Malaita with a focus on isolated bush communities where infant malnutrition rates are reported to be high.
For more information contact Roselyn Kabu at KGA.
