Badigad Rural Municipality Declared First Nutrition-Friendly in Nepal

Baglung. All wards of Badigad Rural Municipality in Baglung have been declared nutrition-friendly wards. With all wards declared nutrition-friendly, the rural municipality is also in the phase of being declared nutrition-friendly.

Badigad Rural Municipality is preparing to become the first nutrition-friendly in the country. According to data from across the country, Badigad Rural Municipality of Baglung and Kaligandaki Rural Municipality of Syangja have reached the phase of declaring the municipality after declaring nutrition-friendly wards.

Since Kaligandaki Rural Municipality of Syangja has also declared all its wards nutrition-friendly, the one that declares first among the two will be the first nutrition-friendly rural municipality in the country, informed Vishnu Prasad Chaube, a national trainer on nutrition and child-friendly issues.

The rural municipality has succeeded in its campaign to make it a nutrition-friendly rural municipality for the past three years with the support of the federal government, informed the chairperson of the rural municipality, Gandaki Thapa Adhikari.

According to Thapa, Badigad Rural Municipality-9 Darling was declared the first ward on Jestha 28, and all wards were declared by Asar 5. The nutrition-friendly ward was declared after completing all 34 indicators required for the construction of a nutrition-friendly rural municipality.

On-site monitoring has shown that many works have been done for nutrition improvement in Badigad Rural Municipality for the past three years, and all necessary preparations, including nutrition awareness through various group formations, have been completed, informed Vice-Chairperson Bhimsen Ban.

The ward was declared after the District Level Monitoring Committee certified that all 34 indicators specified by the working procedure have been met, according to Ban.

Badigad Rural Municipality has become nutrition-friendly after implementing the Nutrition-Friendly Local Governance Program from 2079/080, assigning facilitators in wards, providing training, improving kitchen gardens, kitchens, and sheds, and emphasizing the use of indigenous crops.

Students in schools within the rural municipality have started being served Sattu, Kodo's Halwa, Kheer, Chana, and eggs as snacks instead of fast food.

Currently, even children who come to the health post for weighing are being gifted eggs, informed Bhimkumari Budha Magar of Darling Basic Health Center located in a remote area of Badigad Rural Municipality-10, adding that pure drinking water is available in schools.

The entry of junk food into all schools in Badigad has been banned. If students have to bring food from home, there is a rule that only nutritious food can be brought to school. Tika Giri, a nutrition facilitator from Badigad Rural Municipality-1, said that awareness about the importance and use of nutritious food is being spread in homes and communities even outside of school hours.

Activities for nutrition promotion and improvement have been completed in all ten wards to declare the rural municipality nutrition-friendly, said Sher Bahadur Buda, coordinator of the program. The specified indicators in the areas of health, education, agriculture, livestock, drinking water and sanitation, women and children, and governance have been achieved.

He stated that 69 toles within the rural municipality have been declared fully sanitized, and all health institutions have also become nutrition-friendly.

All 34 indicators for declaring a nutrition-friendly local level, set by the 'Nutrition-Friendly Local Governance Implementation Procedure-2080' introduced by the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, have been achieved.