In rural areas of The Gambia, pregnant women often experience anaemia. This is due to limited access to adequate healthcare and low awareness about maternal nutrition. Severe anaemia during pregnancy is a problem because it can increase the risk of premature birth, having a low birth weight baby and postpartum depression.
Our nutrition project is combating this by promoting the benefits of African leafy-green vegetables through our Mother Clubs. Rich in micronutrients including iron, African leafy vegetables are found in the wild but have not been widely grown or consumed to date. Our project is helping to change this by supporting women to grow them in gardens.
Maimuna, currently pregnant with her fifth child, is just one woman to have benefited from these superfoods. Anaemia has been a major problem in all of her previous pregnancies and it reared its head again during her first trimester. This time, she was able to control it by introducing African leafy-green vegetables into her diet.
Maimuna tending to her crops
“These vegetables are cheap and accessible,” Maimuna says. “I cook Moringa leaves three times a week, which was not usual for me before. This is my fifth pregnancy and it is the only one I experienced less anaemia and better health.”
Jalloh, a mother of eight, has also benefited from our project. She grows African leafy-green vegetables and is actively involved in our Mother Clubs. When the nurse told her that she had anaemia in her latest pregnancy, she committed to eating African leafy-green vegetables more than twice a week – and she was amazed at the effect this had.
“I did this consistently until my next antenatal appointment,” Jalloh says. “When I got examined, the nurse said my blood was normal. This is an impact I will never forget.”
Context:
The EU funded project ‘Reducing micronutrient deficiency of women and children through sustainable and integrated approaches to food fortification’ began in 2017 and has been instrumental in increasing crop production and a variety of biofortified foods for farmers and households alike. With significant impacts on nutrition, value chain addition and market interaction, this project is contributing to the increased consumption of fortified foods across The Gambia.