UNICEF, Enugu, Benue Hold Session to End Malnutrition Among Children in First 1,000 Days
David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka
United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF) and State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA) of Enugu and Benue states have held a two-day joint inception and planning meeting to prevent malnutrition among children.
The session which held in Awka, Anambra State capital, was sponsored by United States Government in partnership with Enugu State Ministry of Health in collaboration with UNICEF, with a focus to end malnutrition in children in the first 1,000 days of life.
UNICEF, SPHCDA officials who met with those of the health, agriculture, budget and planning ministries of Enugu and Benue States, emphasised that the first 1,000 days of life starts from the time of conception to nine months of pregnancy until two years after birth.
The UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Enugu, Mrs. Juliet Chiluwe, who was at the meeting described the meeting as a critical milestone in the partnership of UNICEF and the state governments of Enugu and Benue towards ensuring the well-being of children and women.
She said, “With support from the United States government through funding and technical assistance, UNICEF and the state of Benue are collaborating in the implementation of a program on the first 1,000 days of children.
“The first 1,000 days of children is a programme that holistically looks on how we support the women and children from the time of conception of the mother, to the time the child is born, to the time they get to the age of two years.
“So through that cycle, we support antenatal and also ensure that the pregnant woman gets all the necessary support and is supported by healthcare workers to have birth attended by skilled birth attendants. The child gets all the necessary vaccines and support so that they are protected. From vaccine against preventable diseases, to ensuring they are having nutritious food, including the pregnant and lactating mothers.”
The Executive Secretary of SPHCDA in Enugu State, Dr. Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku who declared the meeting open said recently, her agency was confronted with statistics that showed that quite a number of children were experiencing stunted growth.
“What it means is that from the word go, the children are not able to develop intellectually and that is a disaster. It is not just a health-related matter but a multifaceted factor, which include how well are their mothers getting balanced diet from the time they conceived the children to the time they were born and what are the children fed with from then to two years, which is their first 1,000 days of life?
“If the women are empowered, they can make choices about how they can help their families, including the meals to serve at home, and that is why this meeting is very important.”
Earlier, Dr. Faustina Shar, a medical professional currently serving as the State Nutrition Officer (SNO) for the Benue State Primary Health Care Board (BSPHCB) in Nigeria identified that Malnutrition in all its forms continues to hinder the lives and opportunities of millions of people worldwide.
“Nutrition is a critical part of all development sectors. Good nutrition is related to improved infant, child, adolescent and maternal health, stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy and childbirth, lower risk of non-communicable diseases.
“The negative consequences impact not only the present but also future generations. Sustained high rate of malnutrition adversely affects human capital and economic progress.”