Malnutrition in all its forms remains a major challenge in The Gambia. Many children, especially in rural areas, are poorly nourished. An analysis conducted in 2016 highlighted several issues, ranging from institutional a rrangements, shortfall in domestic resources, to challenges related to the quality of service delivery.
Despite the wide gaps in nutrition, there has been considerable reduction in the number of malnourished children over the past decade. For example, stunting among children under 5 years has reduced over the past 10 years from 23.4 per cent in 2010 to 19.0 per cent in 2018 (MICS 2018).
To ensure efficiency and sustainability, UNICEF is advocating for and supporting the Government of The Gambia to integrate nutrition in the provision of primary health care services across communities in The Gambia. When nutrition services are mainstreamed in the provision of basic health services, more parents will be reached with proper information and more children will eventually benefit from nutritious food.