By Anietie Akpan
Poised to combat malnutrition, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Kwara State Government have deployed 3964 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) to combat child malnutrition in the state.
This initiative, funded through the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF), in a release dated May 20, from UNICEF indicates the commitment of both partners to improving child health and addressing severe acute malnutrition among children in the state.
With support from donors, UNICEF initiated a financing mechanism to accelerate nutrition interventions in Nigeria.
According to the release, the CNF operates on a matching funds model, aligning the state’s nutrition investment on a 1:1 ratio and, the Kwara State Government contributed USD 100,000, which was matched by UNICEF, leading to the procurement of the RUTF that was handed over.
The release further stated that “at least 1982 cartons are being supplied in this first batch, while additional 1982 will be supplied in the second batch, according to a statement by UNICEF.
“The RUTF will be distributed to health facilities across Kwara State, targeting children under five who are suffering from severe wasting (too thin for their height)”.
“Our contribution to the Child Nutrition Fund is a reaffirmation of our continued dedication to eradicating malnutrition among our children in Kwara State. Our partnership with UNICEF is not just a collaboration but a strong mission to uphold the fundamental rights of women and children. And we will continue to make major advances towards improving child health and nutrition,” Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Governor of Kwara State, said at the handing over ceremony in Ilorin.
Malnutrition remains a critical issue nationwide, including Kwara State and this handover marks a vital step in addressing these challenges by ensuring life-saving nutrition commodities is available at the community level, the Governor added.
On his part, UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, Cristian Munduate, said “the Kwara State Government’s commitment to addressing child malnutrition is commendable. The Child Nutrition Fund enables us to double our efforts and reach more children with the essential nutrition they need. We hope this partnership serves as an inspiration for other states to prioritise child nutrition,
“As we approach the MNCH Week in May/June, let us seize this critical opportunity to provide Vitamin A Supplements, deworming tablets to children, multiple micronutrient supplements to pregnant women as well as other integrated services for women and children”.
In this regards, he called on the government of Kwara State “to also assign additional human resources to enhance the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) services across all LGAs.”
UNICEF also called for continued investment to sustain the gains made and expand nutrition interventions as Kwara State’s malnutrition burden necessitates additional funding to address the nutritional needs of vulnerable children.
The CNFis a unique match funding instrument in which UNICEF and its partners match government financing of essential nutrition commodities in a ratio of 1:1 and this enables states to increase the number of commodities available for the prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition.
The CNF helps to contribute to addressing malnutrition by improving access to life-saving nutrition commodities for children and women who need it the most and to date, 11 states (Jigawa , Katsina, Adamawa, Kano, Ebonyi, Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Kwara, Niger, Plateau) have provided funds to the CNF, while UNICEF is continuously dialoguing with the remaining states for a more formal commitments to Child Nutrition Matching Funds and encouraging those who had contributed to maintain this vital investment initiative to secure “more funding for nutrition and more nutrition for the funds.”
