Transforming Child Nutrition in Busoga

Published By BHF |  November 6, 2025

Why Focus on Nutrition in Busoga?

The Busoga sub‑region in Eastern Uganda has a population of more than 3.3 million people and includes 11 districts plus Jinja city. Despite fertile soils and fishing along Lake Victoria, families in Busoga struggle with food insecurity; 14 % of the population is in a food‑crisis phase and only 47 % are food secure (April–July 2025). By late 2025 the situation is projected to improve slightly (53 % food secure), yet 8 % of families will remain in crisis and nearly 39 % “stressed”. Sugar‑cane monoculture has displaced food crops, incomes are volatile and access to safe water is limited, leading many households to adopt crisis coping strategies (e.g., reducing meal portions or selling assets) ipcinfo.org.

Burden of malnutrition and anemia

Recent research paints a stark picture:

• Anemia epidemic. A 2025 community‑based study in the Busoga region found that 67.4 % of children aged 6‑59 months are anemic; 38.2 % have mild anemia, 54.4 % moderate and 7.4 % severe. Anemia risk was 20 % higher among children who had malaria within the previous two weeks and 50 % higher when caregivers were aged 45–59 years Researchers noted that Busoga’s anemia prevalence far exceeds Uganda’s national estimate (~51.7 %) and is associated with economic deprivation and the expansion of sugar‑cane at the expense of food crops, which fuels household food insecurity.
• Insufficient diets. In the IPC Acute Malnutrition analysis (March–August 2025), only 17 % of children in Busoga met the Minimum Acceptable Diet, and only 34.8 % met Minimum Dietary Diversity. Diets are dominated by starchy staples, while intake of animal‑source foods, fruits and vegetables is low Merely 7.2 % of women of reproductive age achieved minimum dietary diversity.
• Acute malnutrition. Although Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) prevalence in Busoga was relatively low (2.3 %), an estimated 60,860 children and 15,181 pregnant/breast‑feeding women were expected to suffer or require treatment for acute malnutrition between March 2025 and February 2026ipcinfo.org. Only eight districts were classified as IPC Phase 1 (acceptable); but poor feeding practices and recurrent illnesses (malaria, diarrhoea, respiratory infections) jeopardise children’s recovery.
• Stunting and wasting. Nationally, 26 % of Ugandan children under five are stunted. Eastern Uganda (where Busoga is located) has significant stunting (23.8 %), and anemia rates (57.5 %) are the highest nationally.

These figures underscore that child nutrition in Busoga is a severe public‑health emergency. Without decisive action, children risk irreversible cognitive delays, diminished school performance and lifelong economic disadvantages.

Our Strategy – Integrating Community and Hospital Care

Busoga Health Forum (BHF) is spearheading a comprehensive nutrition program anchored on community engagement and hospital partnerships. Our approach is evidence‑based and borrows from successful models of community‑based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM), which have demonstrated high recovery rates and low mortality when integrated with health systems.

Community‑level action

1. Early screening & referral. BHF trains community health volunteers and mothers’ support groups to use simple tools like mid‑upper arm circumference (MUAC) tapes to detect malnutrition early. In Mali, integrating acute malnutrition treatment into community case management increased treatment coverage from 20–29 % to 57–61 % within one yearand improved recovery rates (66.9–86.2 %) when supervision and support were strong. We aim to replicate this success in Busoga by decentralizing screening and ensuring swift referral to health facilities.
2. Nutrition education & counselling. Community health workers conduct home visits and group sessions on exclusive breastfeeding, appropriate complementary feeding, balanced diets and hygiene. They help caregivers diversify diets using locally available foods and promote iron‑rich foods (beans, leafy greens, fortified porridge) to combat anemia.
3. Food security & livelihoods. BHF supports household and school gardens, introducing bio‑fortified crops (orange‑fleshed sweet potatoes, iron‑rich beans) and drought‑tolerant vegetables. We partner with farmer groups to integrate nutrition education with sustainable agriculture and provide training on improved food storage—an issue highlighted in Mayuge District, where 23.5 % of households lacked permanent food storage.
4. Health promotion. We collaborate with local leaders and schools to encourage timely immunization, dewormingand malaria prevention (use of insecticide‑treated nets and indoor residual spraying) to reduce infection‑related anemia. Water‑sanitation‑hygiene (WASH) campaigns address diarrhoeal disease and parasite infections that exacerbate malnutrition.

Hospital‑level and clinical care

1. Stabilization centres and outpatient therapeutic programs. Children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and medical complications are treated at hospital‑based stabilization centres. After stabilization, they graduate to outpatient therapeutic programs (OTPs), receiving ready‑to‑use therapeutic foods (RUTF) and regular follow‑up. A meta‑analysis of integrated management of acute malnutrition programs in Somalia reported recovery rates of 95.4 % in OTPs and 80.8 % in stabilization centres, with death rates under 2 %, far surpassing Sphere standards. These results show that hospital‑community integration saves lives when adequate supplies and trained staff are available.
2. Capacity building for health workers. BHF equips clinicians and nurses with up‑to‑date protocols on Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM), including danger‑sign recognition, antibiotic use and counselling on feeding. Regular mentorship ensures adherence to treatment guidelines. Evidence from Mali indicates that recovery rates improved substantially (up to 86 %) when health centres and community health worker (CHW) sites received intensive technical and financial support and supervision.
3. Supply chain and logistics. We work with district health offices to ensure consistent availability of RUTFs, micronutrient powders, iron‑folate supplements and deworming tablets. A GiveWell review found that although CMAM programs can cost around US$ 70 per child in some contexts, they target children at a high mortality risk (~6 % annually) and reduce the risk of death by roughly 45 %, making them highly cost‑effective.
4. Data systems and follow‑up. Health facilities are supported to maintain nutrition registers and track children from admission through discharge and into post‑discharge follow‑up. Community volunteers follow up at home to monitor weight gain, detect relapse early and support feeding practices. Better data allow us to evaluate impact and adapt strategies.

Anticipated Impact and Key Goals

BHF’s programme aims to achieve measurable improvements over five years:

• Reduce anemia prevalence among children under five from 67 % to below 40 %. This includes mass deworming, malaria control and iron supplementation.
• Increase the proportion of children meeting the Minimum Acceptable Diet from 17 % to 50 %, through nutrition education, diversified food production and social protection measures.
• Treat at least 15,000 children with acute malnutrition through integrated hospital and community services, ensuring recovery rates above 85 % and mortality below 2 %.
• Empower women: train 5,000 women in nutrition, breastfeeding counselling and income‑generating activities to improve household food security.
• Strengthen surveillance: implement digital nutrition data systems in all district hospitals and regularly share findings with local governments and partners.

Budgetary Needs and How Donors Can Help

To realise these goals, BHF seeks support for:

1. Training and mentorship: equipping community health workers and hospital staff with skills in nutrition assessment, counselling and IMAM protocols.
2. Nutrition supplies: procuring RUTFs, micronutrient powders, iron/folate tablets, deworming drugs and MUAC tapes.
3. Demonstration gardens and seed distribution: establishing community/school gardens and supplying bio‑fortified seeds and planting materials.
4. Monitoring and evaluation: developing digital data systems, conducting periodic surveys and evaluations to track progress and impact.
5. Community outreach and education: producing communication materials (posters, radio spots, mobile messages) promoting diversified diets, breastfeeding and hygiene.

Investing in child nutrition yields lifelong dividends. Adequately nourished children are more likely to survive, achieve better educational outcomes and become productive adults. By partnering with the Busoga Health Forum, donors can contribute to a scalable, evidence‑based program that combines community empowerment and hospital care to break the cycle of malnutrition. Together, we can ensure that every child in Busoga has the opportunity to thrive.

Key Indicators Summary

BHF’s programme draws on these proven approaches to deliver a scalable, integrated nutrition intervention tailored to the Busoga context. We invite donors to partner with us to nurture a healthier, more prosperous future for Busoga’s children.