DODOMA: DODOMA Regional Commissioner (RC) Rosemary Senyamule has directed that fund allocated for nutrition initiatives be used directly for children’s needs rather than for allowances.
Speaking during an evaluation meeting on the implementation of the nutrition contract for the period from July to December 2024, Ms Senyamule underscored the importance of ensuring that funds are used strictly for their intended purpose.
“Nutrition is not just about cooking; it’s much more than that. We must not take nutrition matters lightly,” she stressed. She also urged local government authorities to ensure that all schools provide meals to pupils while they are at school.
Dodoma District Commissioner, Jabir Shekimweri, insisted the need to focus on promoting clean energy use in schools. Presenting the evaluation report, Dodoma Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS), Kasper Mmuya, underlined the importance of improving nutrition levels, especially among children under five.
He proposed that each child should receive at least 1,000/- from municipal councils, with wealthier councils allocating more to benefit children directly.
According to data for the 2024/25 financial year, local government authorities allocated a total of 1,001,791,817.22/- for nutrition initiatives. Of this, 636,407,412.46/- (63.5 per cent) had been utilised by March 2025.
Furthermore, statistics show that parents and guardians of children aged 0-23 months received counseling on proper feeding practices from healthcare providers, achieving an impressive coverage rate of 1071.7 per cent.
Mr Mmuya said between July and December 2024, all eight municipal councils in Dodoma held quarterly nutrition meetings, achieving 100 per cent compliance.
The councils also conducted food safety and quality inspections. Regarding school feeding programmes, a total of 1,234 out of 1,239 primary and secondary schools in the region provided at least one meal per day, achieving a 99 per cent coverage rate.
