COVID-19: Kaduna sensitises mothers on nutrition, hygiene practices
The Kaduna state government says it will carry out sensitisation campaigns for mothers and caregivers on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF), and good hygiene practices.
State Nutrition Officer, Mrs. Ramatu Musa, made this known in Kaduna on Thursday during the second quarter meeting of the state committee on food and nutrition.
The meeting held through zoom, was organised by the Kaduna state Planning and Budget Commission.
Musa said that the measure was to ensure healthy growth and development of children during the lockdown period.
She said that nutrition services were ongoing in health facilities, stressing that women and caregivers needed to know that they could still access the services during the lockdown.
Musa added that mothers would be sensitised during facility visit on proper breastfeeding, adequate complementary feeding, and good hygiene practices to prevent malnutrition.
“Health workers have been trained and are ready to carry out the sensitisation, while providing quality nutrition services to mothers and caregivers at every health facility.
“The state is doing everything it can to ensure that children under five years are provided with integrated health and nutrition services for healthy growth and development in this trying time,” she said.
Also speaking, the Assistant State Nutrition Officer, Mr. Adams George, added that the mothers and caregivers would also be sensitised on the kind of food to prioritise throughout the lockdown period.
Leah spends another birthday in captivity – Parents laments
George said that the mothers and caregivers needed to know the available food items that were rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals that would boost immunity of children and prevent malnutrition.
Similarly, Mr. Silas Ideva, the state coordinator, Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), pointed out that caregivers needed to be enlightened on how to keep their children and households safe from coronavirus.
Ideva also stressed the need for the state government to streamline nutrition in its COVID-19 interventions, targeting pregnant mothers and vulnerable households with malnourished children.
Some of the key issues discussed at the meeting include nutrition programming during COVID-19 lockdown and assessing budgetary allocation for nutrition intervention by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The meeting had representations from relevant MDAs, UNICEF and some organisations, namely Alive and Thrive, Save the Children International, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (ANRiN) and Accelerating Nutrition Result in Nigeria, CS-SUNN as well as journalists.
