nestle annual report 2007. prof osama salih

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PROFILE OF ANUTRITION INSTITUTE

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NUTRITION CENTRE FOR TRAININGAND RESEARCH AT AHFADUNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN

Osama A. Salih, PhDDirectorNutrition Centre for Training and Research (NCTR)Ahfad University for WomenOmdurman, Sudan

Ahfad University for Women (AUW) is a non-governmental and non-for-profit universityestablished in 1966 in Omdurman, across the Nilefrom Khartoum. The history of AUW dates back to1907 when Sheik Babiker Bedri established Sudan’sfirst private girls’ school for his thirteen daughtersas well as other girls. Since the very beginning theschool was for girls only! Currently AUW has over5,000 undergraduate and 140 postgraduatestudents from all parts of Sudan and fromneighbouring countries, such as Eritrea. AUW has221 faculty members and more than 200 professors,associate professors, assistant professors, andlecturers. The goal of AUW is to prepare women toassume informed leadership roles in their families,communities, and the nation. In keeping with thisobjective, “the Ahfad experience” embraces acombination of well-articulated academic courses,on-the-job training, individual research, andcommunity extension activities. This combination ofactivities is designed to prepare women from allparts of Sudan to become agents of change in theirfamilies and communities, and to assumeleadership positions in the society. In Arabic,“Ahfad” means for “our grandchildren”. Thisillustrates the important role which women have inthe creation of a better future. Presently AUW offersa five-year bachelor’s degree (BSc or BA) in six

undergraduate schools and a master’s degree intwo areas, one of them in Human Nutrition, whichcan be obtained at the Nutrition Centre for Trainingand Research (NCTR).

Since its establishment in 2001, the NCTR has had aclear vision of developing both the field of nutritionand nutritionists in the country. The main goal is todevelop the leadership capacities and skills of thenutrition cadre (particularly female) through formalacademic training (PhD, MS and Higher Diploma) inHuman Nutrition and informal short-, medium- andlong-term training programmes in the differentareas of nutrition and related fields.

NCTR is the only institute of its kind in the country.It is affiliated with the School of Health Sciences atAhfad University for Women, the pioneer in femaleeducation in the region, particularly in the field ofHuman Nutrition.

NCTR is proud to have on its faculty two of thefathers of nutrition science in Sudan: Professor A. H.Khattab (an agricultural biochemist), the pioneer inintroducing nutrition in general education anduniversity curricula in Sudan, and Professor Y. B.Yousif (a gynaecologist), who first established thenutrition department in the Sudan Ministry ofHealth (1962). There are also other professors indifferent areas, including Food Microbiology,Physiology, Human Biology, Public Health,Community Medicine, Biochemistry and FoodScience.

NCTR offers programmes for master’s and PhDdegrees in Human Nutrition. The programmes areconcerned with the details of nutritional problemsin Sudan and developing countries in general.However, the programme qualifies candidates whowork in the fields of Agriculture, Health Education,

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PROFILE OF ANUTRITION INSTITUTE


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SUDAN

AREA2,505,810 km2

AGRICULTURAL AREA56%

ARABLE LANDS & PERMANENT CROPS7%

PERMANENT CROPS<1%

PERMANENT PASTURE49%

POPULATION (estimated)40 million

BELOW AGE 15:18 million (47%)

POPULATION GROWTH RATE (2004)2.64%

GNP (2004)USD 530

LIFE EXPECTANCYmale: 56.96 years / female: 59.36 years

MORTALITY RATES (2007)Neonatal Mortality Rate 41 / 1000 live birthsInfant Mortality Rate 81 / 1000Child Mortality Rate 34 / 1000Under-Five Mortality Rate 112 / 1000Maternal Mortality Ratio 1,107 / 100,000 live births

Infant and young child feeding

Exclusive breastfeeding rate (0-5 months)33.7%

Timely complementary feeding rate (6-9 months)55.8%

Adequately fed infants (Aged 0-11 months)35%

Key nutritional anthropometry

Stunting in children under 5 years (2000)43%

Wasting in children under 5 years (2000)16%

Underweight in children under 5 years MDG1 (2000)41%

Women with BMI<18.5 kg/m² (1995)18%

Micronutrient deficiencies

Prevalence of goitre in school-age children (1997)22%

Percentage of households consuming adequatelyiodized salt (2000) 0.5%

Prevalence of clinical vitamin A deficiency in pre-school children (1995) 3.0%

Prevalence of vitamin A supplementation in children(2000) 44%

Prevalence of vitamin A supplementation inmothers (2000) 22%

Other nutritional parameters

Percentage of households consuming adequateiodized salt (15 ppm or more):10.3%

Prevalence of anaemia in women of childbearingage (Hb<12.0 g/dL)

Gezira 55.6%Khartoum 20.8%South Darfur 39.2%

Prevalence of anaemia in preschool children (Hb < 11 g/dl)


Percent of mothers who received vitamin A supple-ments within 2 months postpartum



Nutrition and Nutritional Policy, Agricultural Policyand Planning and Community DevelopmentOrganizations. The training packages offered by thecentre are mainly in the areas of nutrition inemergencies, public health nutrition, nutrition andfood hygiene, elderly nutrition, anthropometry anddietary assessments.

The centre is involved in several nutrition projectsand programmes at national and sub-nationallevels, including developing the first nationalnutrition policy for the country (2006); developingthe manual for the management of severemalnutrition with the Ministry of Health; producingthe nutrition country profile with the Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO); translating thehandbook “Better Nutrition for Older People” withHelpAge International (HAI); and assessing thenutritional status of rural Arab countries with theArab Organization for Agricultural Development(AOAD).

NCTR has established external links with theFeinstein International Famine Center at TuftsUniversity (USA) and the Ethiopian Health andNutrition Centre and recently (2007) with the NestléFoundation, in addition to other links with UNagencies such as UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, thePopulation Council, and international non-governmental organisations (including CAREInternational, MSF, and Save the Children).

The research policy at NCTR emphasises field-based community-oriented research. The keyworking areas of the centre are studies on foodconsumption patterns in Sudan, Sudanese foodhabits and taboos, nutrition in complexemergencies, nutrition strategy for old pastoralsand community studies on micronutrientsdeficiencies.

The history of Ahfad University’s engagement withnutrition science is much older than the history ofthe NCTR. Through the School of Family SciencesAUW was active in the field of nutrition for morethan 30 years. Nearly 90% of the technicalpersonnel and key persons in policy, planning andmanagement in nutritional issues in Sudan havebeen drawn from Ahfad University graduates. Thecreation of the NCTR is the natural consequence oflong-term leadership activities in the field ofnutrition. Besides nutrition research, thepostgraduate programmes in nutrition, and specifictraining programmes, the dissemination of nutritionknowledge is a key activity of the NCTR. Based onmany studies done at AUW it has been recognisedthat the lack of knowledge or incomplete or evenwrong nutrition knowledge represents one of themajor causes for malnutrition and illness. AUWrecognised already many years ago that only a

multidisciplinary approach (i.e. nutrition, medicine,agriculture) involving good knowledge incombination with practical work and experience willlead to sustainable improvement. Accordingly allstudents at AUW have to participate during theirstudies in a family attachment programme (FAP),during which the students learn to recognise andsolve problems at the family level. Healthy familiesrepresent the basis for a healthy society. Thisapproach underlines the central role of women innutrition and health maintenance. Educating youngwomen is the basis for better health and a betterfuture.

Ahfad University for Women illustrates theendeavours to strengthen the position and voice ofwomen in the society. Empowerment of women bya broad education including the key aspects ofhealth and nutrition will lead to a better futurecharacterised by health and happiness.

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nestle annual report 2007. prof osama salih

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