Stakeholders urged to improve child welfare

Government has implored key stakeholders to work together and improve child survival especially during the first 1,000 days of life as the district prepared for Child Health Week.

Kasempa District Administrative Officer, Francis Makanga, called for concerted efforts among Government, traditional leaders, cooperating partners and communities to improve child survival.

Mr Makanga said this during Child Health Week stakeholders’ meeting in Kasempa today.

“Child survival is a shared responsibility, and it partly explains the reason why we are here today to try and find modalities on how to improve it,” he added.

Mr Makanga emphasized that for every child under the age of five to access essential health services required coordinated effort from all stakeholders.

He said social mobilisation would be key to getting parents and caregivers to take up the services on offer, and urged stakeholders to spread the message through churches, radio, social media and traditional leadership structures.

Mr Makanga singled out traditional leaders as vital in disseminating information because of their close ties with communities.

He also stressed the need to reach children in hard-to-reach areas so that access to healthcare was equitable.

“No child must be left out and no caregiver must be left out, every child, regardless of where they live, should have an equal opportunity to receive life-saving services. We must work together to identify children who may be missed and ensure that families in remote areas are reached during the campaign” he added.

Mr Makanga called on stakeholders to pool their resources in support of the campaign, saying its success depended on the active participation of all.

He said the Government remained committed to improving access to essential healthcare services, including for children in remote communities.

The campaign is scheduled to run from October 26 to 31, 2026, and will offer vitamin A supplementation, malnutrition screening, immunization and deworming services for children under five.