By Politico staff writer
In an effort to ensure food sufficiency and food self-reliance in Sierra Leone, Helen Keller International-Sierra Leone has ended a nationwide campaign and awareness raising about the invaluable nutritional and economic benefits of the Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potatoes (OFSP) grown in the country.
The initiative which is aimed at combating hunger and malnutrition, promoting infection prevention control and water sanitation hygiene in rural communities reached 204 chiefdoms across 10 (of the 16) districts in Sierra Leone, according to the project officials.
According to the Communication Officer of Helen Keller Sierra Leone, Alpha Daramy Sesay, seven representatives from each village comprising traditional and religious leaders, farmers, traders, bakers, youth groups, and dedicated health workers, were selected by their respective communities to participate in the engagement led by Helen Keller’s staff, district nutritionists, and monitoring and evaluation specialists from the District Health Management Team in all 10 districts.
Helen Keller and its partners are optimistic that the campaign will translate into increased cultivation and consumption of the crop.
Explaining the importance of vitamin A which is found in OFSP, Rugiatu Lahai, a nutritionist from the District Health Management Team in Kenema said it is an essential micronutrient for promoting healthy vision, immune function, and growth and development, particularly in young children and pregnant women.
“The widespread impact of this campaign is a true testament to the relentless efforts of aid organizations and the unwavering commitment of communities to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of zero hunger and the government Human Capital Development good health and well-being,” said.
Mammie Brima, a forty-five-year-old Mamie Queen (queen mother) from Blama Township in Kenema District commits to spreading the word to her community, encouraging households to pool their resources and buy the OFSP vines from the Extension Division in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in her district. “We will go door-to-door to inform people about this potato,” she said. “We will collect our resources and purchase the vines because we want this potato to thrive in our community.”
By focusing on home-grown solutions, such as the cultivation of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, this campaign showcases the transformative potential of local interventions in addressing prevalent issues including food insecurity and positively transforming the lives of those most in need.
“The significance of community engagement in combatting hunger and malnutrition cannot be overstated,” says Alpha Daramy Sesay, Communication Officer at Helen Keller in Sierra Leone, adding that “Empowering communities to be at the center of their own food production to bolster food self-sufficiency, cultivates a sense of ownership and empowers them with knowledge and resources to create lasting impact”
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