Rodgers Moonga-Public Health Nutritionist

Rodgers Moonga-Public Health Nutritionist Public Health enthusiast.

31/07/2026

Reach everywhere and do your job Ministry of Health Zambia World Health Summit World Health Organization Zambia

Growing up in Global Health Ecosyem.Excited to share that I have been accepted into the tropEd Global Health Summer Scho...
23/07/2026

Growing up in Global Health Ecosyem.

Excited to share that I have been accepted into the tropEd Global Health Summer School a 5 day online programme bringing together faculty and experts from tropEd member institutions across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

As a public health nutritionist, I have spent a lot of my time thinking about the everyday, tangible ways nutrition shapes health outcomes from how carbohydrate intake affects mood, to how we communicate evidence based science to communities who need it most.

This summer school feels like a natural next step: a chance to sit with global health experts, explore postgraduate pathways like the MSc in Global Health, and connect with a truly international community of researchers and practitioners tackling the field's most pressing issues.

Nutrition does not exist in isolation it is tied to policy, education, culture, and access. I am looking forward to bringing that lens into the conversations this week, and coming back with new ideas to sharpen my own work in nutrition communication and community health.

Grateful for the opportunity, and excited to learn alongside such a diverse cohort.


World Health Organization Zambia Ministry of Health Zambia Nutrition Association of Zambia- NAZ Nutrition Matters -Zambia

Strengthening the link between nutrition, disability inclusion, and mental health and Psychosocial Support.Under the AIM...
21/07/2026

Strengthening the link between nutrition, disability inclusion, and mental health and Psychosocial Support.

Under the AIM Zambia Project Integrated Action for Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change on the Most Vulnerable Communities ADRA Zambia is deepening its partnership with the Ministry of Health to ensure that as communities respond to the prolonged El Niño-linked drought, no one is left out of the response: not persons with disabilities, and not those carrying the mental health toll of the crisis.

With support from the Italian Government (AICS) and partners Celim Zambia, Christian Blind Mission, Keepers Zambia Foundation, People in Need, and Africa Call, ADRA Zambia recently engaged the District Health Office in Kalomo to bring health personnel into a training for Community Disability Inclusion Focal Points and Mentors.

This is where the work connects: drought and food insecurity don't just threaten nutrition they compound risk for people with disabilities and drive psychosocial distress in already vulnerable households. By training Community-Based Volunteers (CBVs) in Disability Inclusion, Mental Health, and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), and anchoring that training in health-system oversight through the Ministry of Health, the project treats nutrition, disability, and mental wellbeing as one continuum of care rather than separate concerns.

CBVs trained through this partnership will cascade that integrated approach back into their own communities helping ensure climate response, public health nutrition, and inclusive mental health support move forward together.

Grateful to the Ministry of Health and all AIM Zambia partners for this collaboration.



World Health Summit
Ministry of Health Zambia

01/07/2026

Mental Illnesses and Carbohydrate Intake.

People with depression or anxiety often find themselves craving carbs and sugary foods things like bread, pasta, sweets, or comfort snacks. This isn't just a lack of willpower; these foods can give a quick, temporary boost to serotonin, the brain chemical tied to feeling good. So without realizing it, people may be using food as a way to self-medicate their mood.

The problem is, this creates a kind of trap. Yes, you feel better for a little while after eating those foods. But over time, relying on low-quality, sugar-heavy foods instead of balanced nutrition can actually make mental health worse, not better.

On top of that, eating too many simple carbs and sugary foods regularly can lead to weight gain, obesity, and metabolic problems (like insulin resistance or high blood sugar).

Ultimately,research shows these physical health issues are themselves linked to a higher risk of depression so it becomes a cycle: mood dips, you crave sugar/carbs for quick relief, that worsens physical health, which then increases the risk of more depression. World Health Summit World Health Organization Zambia Unicef Zambia

Mental Illnesses and Carbohydrate Intake.People with depression or anxiety often find themselves craving carbs and sugar...
30/06/2026

Mental Illnesses and Carbohydrate Intake.

People with depression or anxiety often find themselves craving carbs and sugary foods things like bread, pasta, sweets, or comfort snacks. This isn't just a lack of willpower; these foods can give a quick, temporary boost to serotonin, the brain chemical tied to feeling good. So without realizing it, people may be using food as a way to self-medicate their mood.

The problem is, this creates a kind of trap. Yes, you feel better for a little while after eating those foods. But over time, relying on low-quality, sugar-heavy foods instead of balanced nutrition can actually make mental health worse, not better.

On top of that, eating too many simple carbs and sugary foods regularly can lead to weight gain, obesity, and metabolic problems (like insulin resistance or high blood sugar).

Ultimately,research shows these physical health issues are themselves linked to a higher risk of depression so it becomes a cycle: mood dips, you crave sugar/carbs for quick relief, that worsens physical health, which then increases the risk of more depression.

FIELD DISPATCH.The second round of the nOPV2 Supplementary Immunisation Activity (SIA) is now operationally active acros...
02/06/2026

FIELD DISPATCH.

The second round of the nOPV2 Supplementary Immunisation Activity (SIA) is now operationally active across Southern Province, with district health teams deployed and providing direct technical support to frontline vaccinators in rural and hard-to-reach catchment areas.

Field-level presence during implementation remains essential to ensuring microplan fidelity, real-time problem-solving, and accountability for coverage targets.
Concurrent with vaccination activities, this campaign presents a strategic opportunity for the intensification of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) active case finding a critical component of poliovirus surveillance that is most effectively strengthened during periods of heightened community engagement and health worker field deployment.

It is equally important to acknowledge that religious and cultural beliefs continue to represent a significant demand-side barrier to vaccine access and utilisation in certain communities.

Despite advances in health communication and community mobilisation, these deeply held convictions remain among the most persistent challenges to achieving and sustaining equitable immunisation coverage.

Addressing this gap requires not punitive measures, but sustained, respectful community engagement through trusted cultural and religious intermediaries an investment that is as programmatically necessary as cold chain logistics or supply chain management.

The work of reaching every child is not complete until every community regardless of belief system is genuinely reached.

Ministry of Health Zambia
World Health Summit
Unicef Zambia
World Health Organization Zambia

A HOUSEHOLD STRATEGY AGAINST FOOD INSECURITY-(A Lived Experience).Backyard and smallholder farming represents one of the...
11/05/2026

A HOUSEHOLD STRATEGY AGAINST FOOD INSECURITY-(A Lived Experience).

Backyard and smallholder farming represents one of the most immediate and accessible defences against household food insecurity.

By cultivating even modest plots of land, families secure direct access to diverse, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food strengthening all four pillars of food security: availability, accessibility, utilisation, and stability.

As evidenced by smallholder maize production practices documented across Zambia, this form of agriculture empowers households to build nutritional resilience, reduce dependence on volatile food markets, and meaningfully combat the triple burden of malnutrition undernutrition, micronutrient deficiency, and diet-related chronic disease particularly among women and children.

Food insecurity, however, does not emerge in isolation. It progresses through three recognisable stages from transitory disruptions caused by seasonal shocks and income loss, to chronic structural deprivation rooted in persistent poverty, ultimately culminating in acute crisis characterised by life-threatening famine.

Its root causes are equally multidimensional, encompassing poverty, climate change, conflict, rapid urbanisation, post-harvest losses, and food market financialisation.

The consequences are devastating: malnutrition, stunted child development, compromised immunity, mental health deterioration, reduced economic productivity, and intergenerational cycles of poverty and political instability.

Addressing household food insecurity therefore demands deliberate, sustained investment in backyard and smallholder farming systems. Governments, development practitioners, and community stakeholders must prioritise access to improved inputs, post-harvest storage technologies, nutrition-sensitive agricultural extension, and small-scale irrigation infrastructure.

Food security begins not in policy documents, but in every cultivated household plot because a family that grows its own food is a family taking its first step out of hunger.

Ministry of Health Zambia World Health Organization Zambia Nutrition Matters -Zambia Unicef Zambia Mikiwe Chileshe Nutrition Association of Kenya People in Need Zambia Ompy Ace Health tips with Gondwe Elijah C.O Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Let us hear from lynder."Practicing nutrition is one of the hardest things to do in Zambia.Growing up, many people are t...
08/05/2026

Let us hear from lynder.

"Practicing nutrition is one of the hardest things to do in Zambia.

Growing up, many people are taught to work hard so they can afford a "good life," and sadly, eating well is often mistaken for constantly buying junk food and takeout meals. Many food outlets repeatedly reuse cooking oil, exposing consumers to serious long-term health risks.

Our attitude toward fitness and nutrition still leaves much to be desired. Excessive salt intake, alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyles, and weak food regulation continue to affect public health.

The difficult part is that even when you educate people about good nutrition, many are unwilling to let go of harmful habits. You can advise someone on healthy living, but they will still tell you they cannot go a single day without "chips",yes I know.

Good nutrition is not just about affording food, it is about making informed and healthier choices consistently".

Lynn Sande
Ministry of Health Zambia Nutrition Association of Zambia- NAZ World Health Summit Unicef Zambia Mikiwe Chileshe Nutrition Matters -Zambia Ompy Ace Health tips with Gondwe Elijah C.O World Health Organization Zambia

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PUBLICHEALTHNUTRITIONIST, P.OBOX610093, KALOMO.

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