Child Malnutrition: ENOUGH! Children in Mutarara Speak Out for Their Right to Food

By: Denise Dimande, Communication and Advocacy Officer

In the district of Mutarara, in Tete province-Mozambique, children are raising their voices against one of the most urgent and persistent threats to their health and development: malnutrition.

Last Saturday, the Children’s Parliament and the Children and Youth with Vision initiative gathered with children to openly discuss the daily impact of child malnutrition in their communities. For many of these children, hunger is not a distant concept,it is part of their reality.

During the session, the children expressed their deep desire to see an end to malnutrition. They shared their dreams of growing up with access to healthy, nutritious meals, of being raised in families that are economically stable, and of attending schools that not only educate but also promote healthy living. They highlighted the many challenges they face lack of access to nutritious food, limited health services, and little support for proper child feeding practices at home.

• In a powerful collective statement, the children presented their manifesto:
• A plate full of healthy and colorful food.
• A school that teaches them to care for their health and nutrition.
• A family with the means to provide, and a community that listens, protects, and walks beside them.

The event also featured Adão Faete, a Mutarara Consultant for Social Action, who emphasized the importance of advocacy led by and for children. He welcomed the launch of the campaign “ENOUGH– For the End of Child Malnutrition”, calling it a crucial step towards ensuring that every child in Mozambique grows up with dignity, health, and hope.

Child malnutrition is not only a health crisis, it is a matter of justice, equity, and human rights. No child should be left behind. And no child should grow up hungry.

The children have spoken. Now it is our turn to act. Enough.