The Deputy Speaker has called for tougher measures against alcoholism to curb child hunger and malnutrition in Uganda.
He made the remarks during the 2nd National Children’s Parliament, held at Parliament organized under the theme; A Call to End Child Hunger and Malnutrition”
Speaking at the event, Tayebwa said children in many families are facing hunger and malnutrition because their parents resorting to alcoholism and neglect them.
The Deputy Speaker said the fight against drunkenness and backwardness in families should be intentional for the sake of children and the future.
“If you are waking up every morning to go to the bar, what contribution are you making to national development? Why do we have LCs, aren’t you a nuisance? Aren’t you the people stealing? You don’t work, you wake up every morning to drink waragi, how do you survive? Aren’t you the people raping? So children, forgive us your parents for the sins we have committed against you, from torture, from neglecting you,” he said.
Namayingo District Woman MP, Margaret Makokha called on policy makers to expedite enactment of the Food and Nutrition Bill, saying this will help in addressing malnutrition and hunger in families.
She noted that some parents are ignorant about feeding their children, and said the current policies are non functional and need to be amended.
“Some parents are ignorant of what they should feed their children, at times we have policies which aren’t functional saying the parent should provide food for the child and yet that parent is also sleeping hungry, so, it becomes a challenge,” Makokha said.
She added, “They are making a request that we should find a way of how we can implement the policies we come up with so that they are implemented, rather than having policies which are redundant.”
Paul Mwirichia, the response director at World Vision said the National Children’s Parliament presents a big opportunity for them to not only listen to the children but also ensure they make tailor made solutions to tackle issues like child hunger and malnutrition.
“As World Vision, we have a mandate to support children and in 2023/24, we were able to impact and reach 3.4million children through a number of programs in the sector of health and nutrition, child protection, education, water and sanitation, disaster and emergency response,” he said.
The event brought together learners from different schools who shared views about the challenges about hunger and malnutrition challenges in their homes and schools.
