Malnutrition: UNICEF seeks to rescue Gombe children using PARSNIP
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
Due to the increasing number of death of under five children which is induced by malnutrition, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has sought to tackle malnutrition using preventive measures.
According to Dr. Tushar Rane, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Nigeria Bauchi, his organization is concerned about the challenges faced by some children suffering from malnutrition.
Rane made this disclosure on Tuesday, in Kwami Local Government, at the launch of Progressing Action on Resilient Systems for Nutrition through Innovation and Partnership (PARSNIP), with support from Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
There is a high proportion of stunted and underweight children in Gombe State, with 51.2% of children under five years of age reported to be stunted, and 26.9% severely stunted (short for their age).The proportion of stunted children increased from 47.5% in 2013 to 51.2% in 2018 (NHDS 2018). There is also a current spike of wasting among children 0-23 months.
He said, “The project will implement evidence-informed protocols and strategies for the prevention, early detection, treatment, and care of children with wasting.
“Improve capacity of government services to prevent and treat wasting in the face of climate shocks and other crises scale-up and ensure the quality of facility- and community-based routine services for children with wasting.
“Improve predictability, efficiency and value for money for domestic and global investments to prevent and treat child wasting integrate nutrition supply chains into the national logistics and supply system.
He added, “Aggravating conditions have increased the burden of malnutrition, especially wasting in Nigeria (COVID-19, economic recession, Climate change, farmers- herders’ crises, insurgency and disease outbreaks).
“There is an urgent need for strategic shift towards prioritizing children under the age of two (1000 days potential for impart) in nutrition interventions, hence the introduction of Progressing Action on Resilient Systems for Nutrition through Innovation and Partnership (PARSNIP), project that will contribute to wasting reduction and ending preventable deaths due to wasting among children under 5.”
Rane revealed that UNICEF amongst other initiative is supporting the state in maternal health, adding that about 100,000 IU of vitamin A bottles have been despatched.
“In addition to the foregoing, UNICEF is currently supporting Gombe State on the on-going Maternal, New-born and Child Health Week with 305 bottles of Rectinol 100,000 IU Vitamin A Bottles-100 (Blue) and 988 bottles of Rectinol 200,000 IU Vitamin A Bottles-500 (Red)
“UNICEF will continue to support Gombe state Primary Health Care (PHC) Revitalization for Improved Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Outcomes in Kwami LGA,” Rane said.
Also speaking, Ibrahim Buba, chairman of Kwami LGA, said the council would collaborate with traditional rulers and other relevant stakeholders in ensuring that prevention measures are imbibed towards reducing the impact of malnutrition in the local government.
Buba said, “That is why we have two traditional rulers here and after this meeting you we will see how we can start. Tomorrow we will invite a whole of them and start sensitising them (the entire community). We know all our people will accept the sensitisation which will help us reduce the effect of malnutrition in this local government.”
On her part, State Nutrition Officer, Ronas Amusa, while lauding the effort of UNICEF in eliminating malnutrition in the state, added that the state has ventured into complementary food production.
She said, “As we all know Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation produced 30,000 pieces of complementary food and distributed it to moderately malnourished children across the 11 LGA’s. Most of the early damages (stunting) are irreversible, action after the age of 2 years may be too late.”
Also, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF field office Bauchi, Philomena Irene, noted that on a quarterly basis efforts would be reviewed by stakeholders, adding that the success of Kwami LGA would contribute to the extension of the intervention to other places.
Irene harped the need for collaborations with relevant stakeholders, saying that tackling malnutrition required multiple approach.
“It is not so much about what UNICEF is bringing but how we are going to ensure that the burden of malnutrition is reduced in Kwami LGA, bearing in mind we have other interventions going on in the state.
“Gombe State has been chosen as a service delivery state that will showcase nutrition using multisectoral intervention we can reduce the burden of malnutrition, that if we want to scale this Kwami will be the place to come and learn.
“It is going to be a life cycle approach no body is exempted from the pregnant to when when a child is delivered,” Irene added.
