PAKISTAN | Provincial Ombudsman Sindh emphasizes on integrated approach for reducing stunting

On 10 August 2023, the Provincial Ombudsman Sindh chaired a meeting on the Program to reduce stunting. Project coordinators from the Livestock & Fisheries, the Agriculture, the Population Welfare, and the Health departments of the Government of Sindh, as well as the DHO Tharparkar, Thardeep and Thar Foundation participated in the meeting, discussing the implementation strategy for recommendations of the study “Assessment of malnutrition (stunting) in district Tharparkar”.

During the meeting, the coordinators deliberated on their work of the first phase of the Accelerated Action Plan for Nutrition (AAP –I) and also discussed the AAP-II being prepared with AAP Secretariat, P&D Department, accommodating recommendations of the study where possible.

The chair emphasized on a convergence / integrated approach directing the departments to come up with out-of-the-box solutions by adopting intervention carried out by Thardeep and Thar Foundation in Block-II, such as Bio-Saline Agriculture, Echo Tourism, and Saline Fish Ponds. He then advised them to focus on the social and economic dimension of the issue and take measures for sustainable livelihoods in order to address the issue of malnutrition. He also asked the Deputy Program Coordinator, AAP Task Force Secretariat to take lead in synergizing the interventions to be carried out by the nutrition specific and sensitive sectors.

Source: The Office of the Provincial Ombudsman Sindh, Pakistan