(KPL) On December 11, 2024, the Houn District Agriculture and Forestry Office in Oudomxay Province held a ceremony to commemorate Houn District Nutrition Day, officially observed on December 31.

The event took place at the Houn District Administrative Office and was attended by Mrs. Khamman Keobounhoun, Chief of Houn District, alongside committee members, nutrition secretariat representatives and relevant departments.

Mrs. Khamman highlighted the significance of Nutrition Day, which was first established on July 31, 2013, to mark the creation of the National Nutrition Committee. The committee, comprising multiple ministries—including Public Health, Education and Sports, Agriculture and Forestry, and Planning and Investment—aims to address nutritional challenges through a unified and strategic approach, aligned with the government's 22 integrated measures under the national nutrition strategy.

Mrs. Khamman emphasized that nutrition is essential for physical growth, health maintenance, and development. It involves not only producing, distributing, and preparing safe and nutritious food but also educating the public about balanced and diverse diets. Despite progress, there are still gaps in nutritional awareness, especially in rural areas, where critical groups such as pregnant women, new mothers, and caregivers lack proper knowledge.

Statistics highlight the urgency of addressing malnutrition in Laos: 44% of children under five experience chronic malnutrition, 21% are underweight, and 9% suffer from acute malnutrition. The Chief underscored the importance of promoting healthy eating habits and discouraging practices like consuming unsafe or unclean food and harmful substances such as alcohol.

Houn District has actively implemented a Food Security and Nutrition Project supported by the World Food Programme (WFP). The project focuses on improving household nutritional behaviors and enhancing infrastructure to strengthen resilience against natural disasters and crises. It targets 21 villages, comprising 2,619 households and 15,310 individuals, including 7,691 women.

Key activities under the project include training for 818 pregnant women and mothers with young children at village nutrition learning centers, establishing village nutrition learning centers to promote awareness and education, providing home garden grants to 818 households, enabling them to improve their nutrition and living conditions, constructing facilities such as road repairs and gravity-fed water systems to improve access and infrastructure and others.

Mr. Thongvanh Sayyasan, Deputy Head of the Field Office of the WFP in Oudomxay Province, called on local authorities to ensure the sustainability of the project, emphasizing the importance of government-led management for long-term success.

KPL