The Economic Transformation Initiative Gilgit-Baltistan (ETI-GB) Programme goal is to improve incomes and reduce poverty and malnutrition in rural areas of Gilgit-Baltistan region. The programme targets for 10 % decrease in child malnutrition in under 5yrs old, chronic, acute underweight and stunted. According to Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2017, in Gilgit-Baltistan malnutrition among children under five years is at an alarming stage, 19.4% are underweight, 5.6% are severely underweight, 46% are stunted and 22% severely stunted.
Thus, ETI-GB initiated Nutrition Trainings on Nutrition Knowledge and Attitude through awareness sessions for the grassroots communities living in the rural areas of Gilgit-Baltistan. The aim of the sessions is to make communities aware about the existing malnutrition situation and importance of nutritious diet for a healthy life and healthy society. During the awareness sessions, communities were informed about concept of 1000 days, balance diet, healthy eating habits, importance of maternal and child health (constraints, remedies, precautions), and nutrition sensitive agriculture.
So far, a total of 180 awareness sessions have been conducted on nutrition knowledge and attitude by reaching 4,766 community members including 4,587 women and 169 men. Prior to the sessions, 27 master trainers have been trained who had further trained a total of 225 trainers to conduct awareness sessions in the communities.
