UNICEF is among the most recognised social welfare organizations in the world.
By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
The Officer -in-Charge and Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Maiduguri, Mr. Samuel Sesay has charged media practitioners as watchdog of the society to bring the attention of policy makers , especially, government to the nutrition crisis which has been causing deaths in under 5 years children globally and currently in the north east of Nigeria due to insurgency.
Mr. Sesay also assured that the UNICEF nutrition and media facilitators are ever ready to collaborate with the media practitioners to promote the wellbeing of conflict affected children in the north east region which has been devastated by a 12 year crisis.
The UNICEF Officer stated this on Wednesday during a 3-day Media Dialogue on Child Malnutrition Reporting, organized by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with UNICEF.
According to Me Sasey: “In northeast Nigeria, however, conflict , multiple displacement, destruction of sources of livelihood for households, destruction of basic infrastructures and services, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are peculiar conditions to the growing number of children affected by malnutrition.
“Household food insecurity, poor infant and young child feeding and care practices as well as poor feeding environment, hygiene and health services have been identified as the underlying causes of malnutrition in children.
“Malnutrition is the underlying cause of nearly half of all deaths in under five years children globally and it is currently, the biggest threat to child survival and development in the north east sub region of Nigeria”, Sesay said
Mr. Samuel, further, explained that UNICEF has continuously advocated and worked together with governments of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states for increased budgetary allocations and release of funding for nutrition as well as multi sectoral approach to address Malnutrition by combined efforts of the ministries of Health, Water Resources, Information and Culture, Agriculture, Education, Commerce, Animal Resources, Women Affair’s and Social Welfare .
According to him, UNICEF has also been supporting government and non governmental partners in the north east region in referral and management of severe acute malnutrition in children, provision of ready-to-use therapeutic food in outpatient therapeutic feeding programmes, deployment of community nutrition mobilizers in communities and IDP camps.
He said others include – establishment of mother-to-mother support groups, conducting cooking demonstrations in communities, supplementation of chicken vitamin A, deworming prophylaxis, fortification of chicken diets with multiple micronutrient powder, supplementatiin of pregnant and lactating women with iron and folic acid supplements to prevent malnutrition.
Mr. Samuel noted that it is unaccessible that children should continue to bear the greatest burden of conflict, climate change and COVID-19 while ensuring good nutrition in children helps families and a cheaper route to nation building of it’s population.