Every second Friday, Manisha Pariyar 24, is busy preparing super-flour
for her 18-month-old son. The flour, a nutritious mix made from three
kinds of cereals (maize, wheat and soybean), is a proven nutritious food
for young children. Developed by UMN in the 1970s, super-flour is now
widely used and promoted by many organisations. Manisha learnt how to
make it at the Nutrition Centre that runs five-days-a-week in her own
village, Magma.

Mothers learn there about the value of nutrition
and the methods of preparing the nutritious meals out of the
locally-available food crops, including super-flour.They also feed their
babies and children below five years who are malnourished at the
centre.

“My son looks healthier than before,” says Manish. “He
is always playing happily. If I learnt about this a few years ago, I
would have made my other three children chubby like this,” she says,
beaming. Fifty-five mothers are currently making super-flour at their
home and feeding their babies, with excellent results.

By Nim Bahadur Nepali
Community Facilitator, Nepal Public Awakening Forum Rukum