“Kunun Tamowa”
March 10, 2023
Samuel and his wife Sarah are Transformational Community Development (TCD) workers in Ngassa. They have been concerned about the meals children are being fed. Many children fall ill due to weakened immune systems, which is associated with malnutrition. Samuel and Sarah have been talking to the locals about various aspects of preventative health. Recently, this has centered around nutrition.
This month, Sarah taught Ngassa women how to prepare “kunun tamowa,” literally translated to “porridge for malnutrition” in the Hausa language. It is a nutritious meal made from a combination of grains, millet, sorghum or maize, with dried blended moringa leaves, fish, soya beans, and assorted spices like ginger, turmeric, and cloves. In addition to goat milk, this meal is ideal for children aged six months to two years.
At the end of the session, almost all the women waited behind to ask questions about health and nutrition, an opportunity which Samuel and Sarah seized for further discussion on the subject. Even though all the ingredients that should ideally be added to the meal are not readily available in the village, the teaching has created an awareness of the need to maximize what they have and also source for nutritious food whenever they have the opportunity to travel to the big towns and markets.
Samuel and Sarah plan to follow up with house visitations in the coming weeks to know if families put the “kunun tamowa” teaching to practical use and to generally reiterate the benefits of preventative health. The villagers are happy about how TCD is bringing new information on how to maximize the benefits of their local foods to improve wellness in the family and community at large.
Thank you!
Written by: Shade
GHNI Project Manager
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