KARACHI: The Sindh health ministry and USAID on Thursday inked a partnership agreement in a future programme aimed at targeting the alarmingly high malnutrition in the province — much higher than the national aggregates, officials said.

USAID deputy mission director Denise A. Herbol, secretary for health Fazlullah Pechuho and secretary for education Abdul Aziz Uqaili witnessed the signing of the agreement between the USAID Sindh community mobilisation programme (CMP) and the provincial health ministry.

Officials said the effort would support nutrition-related activities for children aged five to nine in CMP schools in seven of Sindh’s 11 northern districts. Besides, the programme would also cover five towns of the sprawling provincial capital.

“Education plays a vital role in improving children’s health and nutrition. We believe a comprehensive strategy is required to address issues related to malnutrition, especially among the affected children in Sindh,” said Ms Herbol.

As part of the USAID-funded Sindh basic education programme (SBEP) — in partnership with the Sindh school education department — CMP is creating linkages between schools and the health facilities to address issues of malnutrition.

The CMP, officials said, also screened children and created awareness among parents regarding benefits of improved nutrition.

“Malnutrition affects children’s ability to learn,” the programme was told.

In Sindh, officials said, the situation was gravely disturbing in the districts which were affected by floods in 2010.

Secretaries of health and education in their speeches emphasised on the need of a concerted effort to effectively fight malnutrition in Sindh.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2017