Faith, beliefs, and the fight against malnutrition
Religious beliefs once kept Luvina from seeking healthcare for her twins. But when malnutrition threatened their survival, she broke tradition and turned to nutrition and health promoters working in her community.
Luvina, 25, with her twins, Fetilinia (Left) and Fetilicia (Right). Photo Courtesy: Plan International Zambia
In a rural part of southern Zambia, a particular religious denomination strongly discourages hospital visits even for childbirth and chronic illness. Instead, women are encouraged to give birth at home and rely on prayer for healing. Faith-based practices are seen to be more powerful than modern medicine.
For 25-year-old Luvina, these beliefs became a reality immediately she married and joined her husband’s church. When she conceived twins, she followed the church’s teachings, skipped antenatal visits, and delivered at home. At first, Fetilinia and Fetilicia appeared healthy, but as the drought deepened and food grew scarce, the twins soon began to fall behind.
They weren’t growing as they should, and Fetilinia, the older twin, became alarmingly ill. She experienced frequent diarrhoea, vomiting, and fever. Her appetite disappeared, and she became underweight. Although Fetilicia was in a slightly better condition, she too was weak and underweight.
“I noticed my children, especially Fetilinia, kept getting thinner. I went to my mother, who urged me to seek help. Despite my beliefs, I took them to a weighing point where nutrition promoters were conducting community outreach,” shares Luvina.
“I noticed my children, especially Fetilinia, kept getting thinner. I went to my mother, who urged me to seek help. Despite my beliefs, I took them to a weighing point where nutrition promoters were conducting community outreach.”
Luvina
It wasn’t an easy decision. “My husband wasn’t going to allow me to seek medical help because of his beliefs,” she adds.
At the outreach site, a nutrition promoter trained by Plan International assessed the twins and quickly referred them to the nearest clinic. From there, they were sent to a nearby general hospital for further care. Fetilinia was diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition- she weighed just 5 kilograms, had a high fever, and her mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) measured only 10.5 centimetres. Fetilicia’s MUAC was 11.8 centimetres, indicating moderate malnutrition.
The girls were admitted for care and put on Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)- a high-energy, nutrient-dense paste made from peanuts, sugar, vegetable oils, and other essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Within 2 weeks, their condition began to improve. Fetilinia became more alert and started eating again. Fetilicia also grew stronger.
By the time Plan International Zambia followed up, both children were still receiving RUTF and corn-soy blend supplements through their local clinic. Fetilinia’s MUAC had improved to 11.6 centimeters, and Fetilicia had reached a healthy range at 13 centimeters.
Since then, Luvina has chosen not to return to her husband’s home. She now lives with her mother, where she says she feels supported as she raises her daughters.
About the Nutrition in Emergency Project
During the 2023/2024 farming season, Zambia experienced below-average rainfall and prolonged dry spells due to the El Niño weather event. This crisis threatened food security for over 9.8 million people in affected areas, with more than 6.6 million urgently requiring food assistance. Zambia carried one of the highest burdens of undernutrition in the region with approximately 1 million children stunted who needed life-saving nutrition treatment services.
Plan International Zambia with support from UNICEF started implementing the Nutrition in Emergency project in August 2024 to June 2025 through the existing structures of Ministry of Health (MoH) aimed at reducing mortality associated with malnutrition, improve the nutrition status of the affected population and prevent their situation from deteriorating. The project was being implemented in the three districts of southern province namely, Zimba, Sinazongwe and Gwembe through the existing structures of MoH.
Plan International Zambia’s support included capacity building for Health Workers, Community Based Volunteers, Out-Patient Therapeutic Programme functionalisation, creating an enabling environment of nutrition coordination clusters, nutritional surveillance, data management, and community engagement meetings.
Categories: Early childhood development, Emergencies
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