Prime Minister’s Office Vows To Strengthen Working Ties With Stakeholders In Nutritious Interventions -

By Valentine Oforo, Dodoma

THE Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliamentary and Coordination) Dr.
Jim Yonazi has met and held talks with the development stakeholders of the Helen
Keller International Tanzania (HKI-Tanzania).

The useful meeting dwelled in the discussion of ways
to further strengthening cooperation between the government and the stakeholders
in the health sector to ensure the nutrition sector is given needed priority
from grassroots across the country.

HKI is an international nonprofit organizations
(NGO) working to to save the sight and lives of the most vulnerable and
disadvantaged. The initiative is operating with the high devotion to combat the
causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition by establishing programs
based on evidence and research in vision, health and nutrition.

Speaking during the gathering, Dr. Yonazi expressed
that the Prime Minister’s Office will continue to work in sober ties with the development
stakeholders to ensure that nutrition interventions are improved.

“The main
focus is always to encourage and enabling the citizens to consume nutritious
foods based on their environment, together with imparting the with the relevant
education,” he unveiled.

Dr. Yonazi spoke over the need for the two parties to
continue working together, added: “ Let’s make sure the people within the local
communities are better equipped with the needed awareness on nutrition and
diseases issues, the development which will help them to start eating recommended
balanced diet,”

On his side, the Director of the Helen Keller International
Tanzania (HKI-Tanzania), Dr. Deogratius Ngoma explained that their major role
is to create awareness in the community about dangerous foods that cause
non-communicable diseases.

For his part, an expert and advisor of nutritional issue
at the NGO, Dr.Theresia Jumbe infomed that the future plans of the initiative incorporate
to continue to standing at forefront to cordinate and implement diverse
programs on nutritional interventions as outlined in the integrated nutrition
program of the Multisectoral Nutrition Action Plan (NMMNAP).

Helen Keller International (HKI) is among the oldest
international nonprofit organizations devoted to fighting and treating
preventable blindness and malnutrition. HKI is headquartered in New York City,
and has programs in 23 countries around the world.

HKI builds local capacity by establishing
sustainable programs, and provides scientific and technical assistance and data
to governments and international, regional, national and local organizations
around the world.