UNICEF says 56.9 per cent of under-five-year-old children in Kano are affected by stunting due to malnutrition.<\/p>\n
Mr Oluniyi Oyedokun, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Kano office, stated this on Wednesday in Kaduna at a two-day stakeholders inception meeting on scaled-up Multiple Micronutrient Supplements for improved pregnancy outcome in Kano.<\/p>\n
According to him, out of two children in Kano, one is stunted.<\/p>\n
He revealed that the MMS intervention campaign was being sponsored by Bill and Melinda Foundation, adding that only five states in Nigeria, including Kano were currently benefiting from the project.<\/p>\n
Oyedokun urged all the stakeholders to look at the prevention of anaemia in pregnancy holistically, from the perspective of social behavioural change.<\/p>\n
The nutrition specialist also urged them to create an enabling environment for MMS acceptability and intervention to prevent anaemia among pregnant women.<\/p>\n
According to him, the partnership between UNICEF, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Alive and Thrive and CS-SUN is to improve pregnancy outcomes.<\/p>\n
The nutrition specialist, who described the MMS as a blessing, called on the Kano State Government to come in because of its importance in Nigeria due to its population.<\/p>\n
Oyedokun, who also described the meeting as timely, stressed the importance of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) to the overall well-being of the mother and child.<\/p>\n
He said that the objectives of the meeting was to share the concept and deliverables of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) funded MMS scale-up of the project to state level stakeholders in Kano State.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo outline and agree on the roles and responsibilities of partners, to identify the enabling environment for leveraging government resources for procurement of MMS.<\/p>\n
\u201dAnd also to develop a work plan and agree on modalities of implementation,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Oyedokun said that the first 1,000 days of the baby\u2019s life starting from the first nine months in the womb and two years after birth remained critical to the well-being of the mother and child.<\/p>\n
The UNICEF nutrition specialist stressed the importance of ensuring good nutrition for women of child bearing age and the expectant mother for the healthy development of the baby even at foetal stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first 1,000 days are what determine the criticality of the child\u2019s development.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the womb, infancy and early childhood, the first 1,000 days are the critical window for growth and development,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Oyedokun also lamented the effect of malnutrition on the overall health and well-being of the mother and child.
\nAccording to him, recent surveys show that 60.4 per cent of women in North-West are anaemic.<\/p>\n
He said that the first 1,000 days of the baby\u2019s life starting from the first nine months in the womb and two years after birth remained critical to the well-being of the mother and child.<\/p>\n
Oyedokun stressed the importance of ensuring good nutrition for women of child bearing age and the expectant mother for the healthy development of the baby even at foetal stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first 1,000 days are what determine the criticality of the child\u2019s development and the first 1,000 days also determine the potential of the child\u2019s development because it starts with the first day of pregnancy.<\/p>\n
According to him, recent surveys show that 60.4 percent of women in Northwest are anaemic.<\/p>\n
He expressed optimism that Kano state would be the first state to implement a child nutrition fund in Nigeria.
\nOyedokun also commended Gov. Abba Yusuf for the approval of the release of the MMS counterpart fund.<\/p>\n
UNICEF says 56.9 per cent of under-five-year-old children in Kano are affected by stunting due to malnutrition. Mr Oluniyi Oyedokun, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Kano office, stated this on Wednesday in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":82220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-113869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n