By Khalid Idris Doya UNICEF Field Office Bauchi has hailed the Bauchi State Government over the release of N300 million counterpart funding...
By Khalid Idris Doya
UNICEF Field Office Bauchi has hailed the Bauchi State Government over the release of N300 million counterpart funding for the Child Nutrition Funds (CNF), saying the gesture would facilitate the treatment of malnourished children across the state.
The Chief of Field Office, Bauchi of the United Nations agency, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, while making the commendation, appealed to the state government to ensure the timely release of the counterpart funding to upscale the treatment of the malnourished children in the state.
Dr. Rafique at the Agency's Country Representative in Nigeria, Wafaa Saeed Abdullatif, post-visit press briefing in Bauchi, Wednesday, also praised the state government for its resolve to increase the counterpart threshold of the state next year as its enhanced drive to curtail child malnutrition.
"His Excellency also promised to increase the support threshold next year, and we are looking forward to that, because the need for children who are malnourished in Bauchi is huge. Even after increasing the threshold, UNICEF will also match with same amount if not surpass it"
The Bauchi Chief of Field Office similarly thanked Bauchi ALGON, and the respective twenty Local Government Councils for their collective contribution of N100 million out of the total amount, saying the gesture is akin to that of Plateau state, which doled out counterpart funds of $200 000.
Rafique described as great support the counterpart funds release geared to offset the bondagedly malnourished children of Bauchi state, who, she argued, "are malnourished, who can even die if we do not provide them the support on time".
Rafique therefore encouraged the state government to look for local solutions through behavioural change and prevention for malnutrition, querying "How long would the state keep on malnutrition the children for UNICEF to treat them".
"So it's better to change our behaviour, to feed the children appropriately, teach the mothers and communities to take care of the children when they are born, even from conception to two years, that is the way to go forward, we should hold the introduction of these malnourished children".
UNICEF added, "No child should be malnourished in the first place, because it affects their biological and physical growth and even mental growth, and the damage is done once they're malnourished, even if he/she is treated, we don't want that damage to be done to the children".
Dr. Nuzhat Rafique also stressed the need for the support of LGAs, Royal Authorities and Emirs, the Traditional and Religious Leaders, Community Leaders and Vocal Voices, emphasising "It is not easy to change the narrative, so we need to change the narrative and journalists being part of UNICEF team need to reach all these communities".
Also speaking at the press briefing, a Nutrition Specialist with the UN agency, Philomena Irene, recalled that over time, Bauchi has one of the worst statistics in Nigeria when it relates to nutrition, with a bad stunting rate which is above 50 percent.
She said, "So it's really worrisome for the future of children if nothing is done, we thank God that the visit by the Country Director has yielded some dividends, which is the release of funding from the state government, recalling that the state has promised to release more funding next year".
"With the number of malnourished children increasing by the day, all hands should be on deck to proffer solutions to this killer disease. Wafaa also saw the level of malnutrition by visiting MSN centre, where children are currently being treated for the management of Severe Acute Malnutrition, where she saw the level of prevention, morbidity and the mortality rate, which is said to be very high.
Also speaking on the UNICEF mandate, an SBE Specialist with the agency, George Eki, noted that in supporting the state and LGAs, different groups supported the establishment of trained community resource groups, one of which is Mama-to-Mama, which is a group meant to interact with mothers of children.
"When a woman gets pregnant, she needs to attend to ANC, follow antenatal schedules and eventually deliver in the hands of kids' birth-attendants, postnatal care and the care for the baby, and follow up two-two weeks breastfeeding".
According to him, the mama to mama groups are actually helping to interact with women, reminding them of their ANC schedules and after delivery in the facility, ensuring that the child get the vaccination that is needed, follow through to ensure that the child is eventually vaccinated completely.
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