CS-SUNN partners Gombe Media towards tackling malnutrition
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
Media experts on Friday, collaborated with Civil Society organizations in Gombe, to pledge towards giving malnutrition a reinvigorated fight using their various platforms.
They committed to developing concepts geared towards attracting government to the plights of Severely Malnourished Children.
The professionals made this resolve during a one day media engagement on Maternal and Infant Young Child Feeding (IYCF), organised by Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), Coalition Gombe state.
According to the state coordinator of CS-SUNN, Comfort Mukollo, breast milk is the first immunization
She said, “We are here for a media engagement on maternal and Infant Young Child Feeding to update the media on the nutrition situation of Gombe with the CSO’s that form part of the coalition.
“We have so many people now working on nutrition, people are beginning to get aware, even when we diversified to preventive measure (IYCF), we felt people are accepting it now with this a lot of children will no longer be in danger as it is getting the desired attention. If government had released the 50 million naira, the stock out experienced last year would not have been, as the money would have gone a long way since the best way to cure Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) is when they are given Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).”
While lauding the effort of Gombe State Government in venturing into complementary feeding for moderately malnourished children, she urged the leadership to ensure the release of 50 million which is a reminder from 2020 budgeted 75million, Mukollo said it would help to purchase RUTF for the treatment of SAM.
“I wish to call on government to release the 50 million naira, so that children who are already Severely Malnourished will be treated because that is the treatment. While we try to safe others from being malnourished those that are already Severely Malnourished should be cured. I urge breast feeding mothers to exclusively breast feed their children,” Mukollo said.
Also, Alhassan Yahya, Chairman, Maternal Newborn Child Coalition bemoaned the continued scarcity of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food in the state.
Yahya who doubles as the state nutrition champion, while hailing Government for diversifying into complementary feeding for moderately malnourished children in the state, said if Government can invest 100 million into Infant Young Child Feeding the result will be enormous.
He said, “So far so very good, you are all aware that since October 2020; we are out of stock of RUTF, which is given to Severely Malnourished children as treatment. From October till date God knows the well being of SAM children in the state.
“Government is now investing in IYCF, in the last quarter we talked about the need for government to invest in Infant Young Child Feeding. IYCF is a solution to this critical issue, you can’t be treating children without making sure the root causes are dealt with.
“We want to urge religious leaders in their mosques, churches to embark on awareness on the need for exclusive breast feeding purchasing RUTF alone can’t solve it.
“We consumed about 12,000 cartons of RUTF from October 2019 to May 2020 worth over 340 million naira; no government in Nigeria can afford to be spending that kind of money. If Government can release 100 million on IYCF, the impact will be enormous. I want to appeal to Gombe Government, so that together we can sleep with our two eyes closed.”
On his part, Akpan Effiong of Save the Children International (SCI), said when children are well nourished, it improves the Intelligence quotient (IQ) of an average child.
He said, “SCI is almost a household name in Gombe, and of course we are not shying away from making improved services for our children that is why currently now we are still pursuing the child rights act vigorously. For us in Save the Children, we are happy to identify with CS-SUNN not just in Gombe, even at the national level. When children are well nourished their Intelligence Quotient will improve.”
While harping the developmental strides of the media, Effiong said many more efforts are required to achieve the needed result.
“I’m happy with what media is doing in Gombe especially in encouraging and promoting awareness around the nutrition indicator.
“Your messages are getting attention from even the government of the day. I want to encourage them to do more to up the game to ensure all our children are well nourished. if we don’t have well nourished children in the nearest future the workforce of the state will be affected,” Effiong added.
Also, Project Coordinator Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) Suleiman Mamman called for collaborative efforts towards tackling malnutrition in the state.
Mamman who was represented by the project’s Communication officer, Bome Samutar added that, “Malnutrition in Gombe is high. If we put our heads together I believe that in no time it will be out of Gombe. ANRiN is all about curbing malnutrition, especially it prevention. I thank God, the media is here we are going to work hand in hand to spread the messages around prevention.”
Leading the pack of Journalists who pledged to amplify the voices of children suffering from malnutrition, Director of Programmes with Gombe Media Corporation (GMC), Abubakar Usman said already the station has dedicated ample air time to sensitising government on timely releases of funds and parents on the need to prevent their wards from being malnourished, adding that management will do more to ensure the safety of children.
Also, Williams Attah of Daily Independent Newspaper, vowed to do more, as an editor, in projecting the challenges of Malnourished children, using multiple avenues.
In the same vein, Rebecca Caleb of the GMC, committed to doing more as a media practitioner, promising to use radio as a medium to sensitise her audience on the dangers of Malnutrition, using targeted messages.
Also, Muhammad Pantami of Liberty Television, pledged to use his international medium to campaign for timely release of budgeted funds and to sensitise mothers on exclusive breast feeding.
In their separate commitments, David Olofo of Amana of Amana FM; Uwumarogie Peter of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Chima Azubuike of Periscope and Punch Nigeria, vowed to give the scourge of Malnutrition a reinvigorated fight using their various platforms.
