OVC: Nutritionist urge caregivers on common but healthy food
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
A Nutritionist, Mrs Josephine Ogenyi, has urged caregivers, parents of Orphans, and Vulnerable Children (OVC), towards choice of healthy food.
Ogenyi made this plea on Saturday, during a one day training for 40 Caregivers and Parents, organised by Kishimi Shelter and Care Foundation in collaboration with Centre for Integrated Health Program (CIHP).
According to her, the initiative is based on support from Centre for Disease Control (CDC), and Presidential Programme from the States House, United States to fortify clients with healthy lifestyle.
Ogenyi mentioned that Gombe has over 7,010 Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), from 4 pilot LGA’s in the state namely; Kumo, Gombe, Balanga, and Yalmatu Deba, adding that the paucity of fund in economy had destabilized the proper feeding of adolescents, then the need to eat the basics which she described as being rich in nutrients.
She said, “We are here to train caregivers and parents on how to manage the Orphans Vulnerable Children in our communities, most especially the indigent clients. We have about 7,010 households and OVC across 4 Local Government Areas of Gombe State.
“The training will help caregivers and parents to manage the adolescent in this time. Following the lack of money, food crisis and you know they are on antiretroviral drugs. For the orphans we have caregivers who are not their parents, maybe like an uncle, aunty that they are staying with. When we enroll them we make such people their caregivers whatever support we want to give them so that the whole household benefits. We have educational, nutritional, packages for them.
“So, the need to take the caregivers on basic nutrition. For many of them since they must eat well they do not concentrate on the food around them. They don’t know the importance like the beans, groundnut that they have they rather sell it to do irrelevant things. For groundnut and beans it is proteinous, even though it is second class protein, protein is protein. In this time that a kilo of beef is N1,900, you should go for the substitute, like beans. Some of them are wondering how best they can prepare the beans without purging. We also recommended for them to make do with ‘garo-garo’ (rice and beans combination) eating with just fried vegetable oil and pepper and we have agreed with them to improve on that.
“As we know World Health Organization (WHO), standard requires people to take 5 vegetables, fruits in a day. So we agreed that since they can’t afford some things that they can afford vegetables like cucumber, carrot, onion, cabbage and so on have parts to play in our body, So things is a clarion call to eat well.”
While urging clients to go regularly to ascertain their viral loads, Ogenyi added, “As you know government can not do everything, Centre for Disease Control (CDC), and other partners have paid for it viral load testing.
“For an individual it costs over N50,000, which many of them can’t afford. This testing will help clients know the level of virus in their blood, for those who are religious to this, who eat well and take their antiretroviral we have 0 level meaning it can not be transmitted. Once the virus is below 20 it can not be transmitted.
On his part, a caregiver, Yusuf Isah, said he has been enlightened through the resources of the training on what to give his children regardless of his finances.
Isah, “Really the teaching is marvelous because I have learnt alot of things that before I don’t know it but now I know about it.
“Now I know how to take care of my children based on the type of food to give them, food that can give them energy in their body, nourish them. In whatever circumstance it may be whether I have money or I don’t have money. I know the classes of food to combine and give them to my children.
“I like to give kudos to the organisers for educating us as well as to God for keeping us.”
May God bless you and keep you. The sky will surely be your limit ma.