27% ‘Suchana’ beneficiaries reach food security

In Sylhet and Moulvibazar, the Suchana project, implemented by Save the Children in Bangladesh has helped 27 per cent of the beneficiaries reach food security, a 14 per cent increase in three years.

In a seminar jointly organised by Save the Children Bangladesh and icddr,b Wednesday, the results of the international health research organisation’s evaluation survey to assess the impact of the Suchana programme from 2017 to 2020 were presented.

Food security is defined as having, at all times, both physical and economic access to sufficient food to meet dietary needs for a productive and healthy life. A family is food secure when its members do not live in hunger or fear of hunger.

Between 14-27 per cent, the proportion of women who could make their own decisions about major household purchases increased from 24.8 per cent to 48.4 per cent; food purchases from 44.0per cent to 69.3 per cent; food preparation from 77.0 per cent to 83 per cent; their own healthcare from 51.0 per cent to 72.3 per cent; and their children’s healthcare from 57.6 per cent to 75.5 per cent.

Also, minimum dietary diversity among women of reproductive age (15-49 years of age) was significantly higher at endline evaluation, reaching 53per cent compared to 27per cent at baseline.

Speaking as the chief guest, the planning minister said We have many programmes in nutrition, food security and have achieved a lot of success as a result of collaborative efforts. But we have many miles to go, and collaboration is the key. The government is keen to make changes in the food security, nutrition, and poverty sector in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Professor Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, chairman of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, said We have made so many remarkable gains in development, poverty alleviation and improvement of healthcare services. But the extremely poor segment of the country is still left out and we need to include them, giving them the most basic needs pertaining to food, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

Maurizio Cian, head of cooperation at the European Union (EU) Delegation to Bangladesh, said The rate of stunting and wasting is still very high in Bangladesh. Multi-sectoral management and investment in this field need to be enhanced.