Nutrition is an element that we tend to bypass even though everyone knows about the importance and impacts of it. As our consumptions patterns have changed drastically over the years due to various influences, many old and young in Sri Lanka continue to face numerous physical, mental and social challenges such as deficiencies or excesses in the diet, obesity and eating disorders, and chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer, and diabetes mellitus.
In addition, although Sri Lanka has been implementing numerous programmes targeting the alleviation of malnutrition especially among socio-economically poorer communities, child nutrition is still a major challenge.
In this context, Caritas Sri Lanka organized a 2-day practical training workshop on Nutrition recently with the collaboration of Caritas Kurunegala on 14th and 15th March 2019 at the auditorium of Pradesiya Sabha, Galgamuwa, Kurunegala. The workshop was a project activity under the Caritas Norway and NORAD funded project titled, “Addressing Causes for Poverty and Ensuring Food Security for Farming Communities”.
During the first day of the programme 65 and on the second 125 mothers of pre-school children and Montessori teachers received knowledge and awareness on how to prepare nutritionally balanced diets especially for their children through practical cooking demonstrations.
The two-day workshop was facilitated by Mrs. Chandra Ratnadiwakara, Assistant Director, Department of Agriculture, Mrs. P.M.C Fernando, Supervision Public Health Midwife, Department of Health and Dr. Priyantha, Indigenous Medical Officer at Galgamuwa.
Mrs. Ratnadiwakara spoke about nutritionally balance diet and how to improve the food preparation at the household level and Mrs. P.M.C. Fernando focussed her presentation on the importance of early childhood development. Dr. Priyantha shared his knowledge on the locally available nutritive food varieties and gave some important practical inputs for the participants to follow in improving their feeding habits.
The workshop was organized under the leadership and guidance of Rev. Fr. Jamika Perera, Diocesan Director, Caritas Kurunegala – Janasetha.
