Uganda is considered “The Pearl of Africa”. And there’s good reason for that. From end to end, Uganda is a storybook landscape, incredibly rich in biodiversity, lush green forests, and fertile soil primed to grow anything and everything. If you’ve ever been there, you would know what I’m talking about.

While the mystique and beauty of Uganda captures the attention of many outsiders as the ultimate travel destination, there’s no denying that if one were to visit the country, they would find evidence of malnutrition –  one of the single gravest threats to global public health that impacts one-third of the population in East Africa.

Malnutrition is “bad nutrition”. People can either lack nutrients because they do not consume enough food or they may eat too much of the wrong type of food. This lack of nutritious food and imbalance in diet can lead to vitamin deficiencies, stunting and anemia.

Uganda continue struggles with widespread malnutrition despite efforts by the Ugandan government and NGOs to ensure food and nutrition security in the country.

Here are 10 facts you should know about malnutrition in Uganda:

1. Uganda ranks as one of the least well-nourished countries in the world.
2. Staple, commonly eaten foods like cassava, posho, and matoke are poor in essential vitamins and minerals like iron, vitamin A, and zinc.
3. According to the most recent Demographic and Health Survey, inadequate and unbalanced diets are a root cause of persisting nutritional problems, which undermines the health, growth and development of the children in Uganda.
4. Between 2004 to 2009, around 110,220 children died of malnutrition. And large part of the problem is that 82 percent of cases of child malnutrition in Uganda go untreated.
5. Stunting (low height for age) affects 29 percent of children in Uganda under 5 and can lead to less educational attainment and a reduced likelihood of escaping poverty in adulthood.
6. Malnourished children are more likely to dropout of school or repeat academic years. An estimated 133,000 Ugandan children per year have to repeat grades, adding more burden to an already depleted educational system.
7. More than 4 million (53 percent) of Uganda’s children under the age of five are anemic (USAID). In children, anemia leads to a significant slowdown in cognitive development, decreased physical activity, and reduced resistance to disease.
8. Almost half of women of reproductive age are anemic. Anemia in women leads to chronic fatigue and impairs productivity, pregnancy complications, premature birth, low birth weight, and even maternal mortality
9. Vitamin A deficiency  is a serious issue, impacting at 38 percent of children and 36 percent of women
10. Malnutrition costs Uganda $899 million per year. Poor nutrition affects work productivity by reducing the physical capacities of the laborers.

Many past initiatives to combat food security and malnutrition in Africa have focused on increasing the availability of staple foods which are nutrient poor. But it’s clear that simply producing more low-cost, energy-dense foods does not solve the malnutrition problem.

Greater emphasis needs to be placed on foods that are high in protein and essential nutrients derived from animal-sourced foods, fish, fruit, legumes, and vegetables. Investments in sustainable opportunities should not only make more nutritious food available, but also increase employment, improve the local economy, and teach valuable skills.  Ideas include dairy from goats and cows, raising chickens for eggs, fruit and vegetable gardens, and aquaculture.

Additionally, education on nutrition practices and building the skills to put the educational content into action is a critical piece of the puzzle. The work currently being done in Uganda by USAID aims to educate families and caretakers on foods that protect their children (vitamin- and mineral-rich foods), foods that build their children’s bodies (protein-rich foods), foods that give their children energy (foods with carbohydrates).

Nutrition education programs can also provide cooking classes and teach households about the importance of meal frequency, hygiene and even gardening. Changing behaviors such as meal frequency and hygiene greatly contribute to children’s overall health. Teaching villagers about gardening improves their access to diverse foods.

These two key ingredients can help to alleviate the pains in Uganda’s malnutrition crisis in it’s road ahead to recovery.