Jigawa, UNICEF fight malnutrition with food items worth N500m

The Jigawa State Government has released over 12,400 cartons of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to UNICEF for the treatment of severe wasting among malnourished children.

A statement on Tuesday by the Senior Special Assistant Media Affairs to the Jigawa State Governor, Zainab Ringim, explained that the RUTF consignment worth about N500 million was procured under a Matching Fund arrangement between the Jigawa State Government and UNICEFs Child Health Grant with a 1:1 funding ratio.

The Jigawa State governor, Umar Namadi, stated this in a statement after he received an audience, UNICEF Country Representative in Nigeria, Ms Cristian Munduate and her esteemed team members.

The statement added that the governor would leverage on the auspicious visit by the Country Representative to carry out the foundation laying ceremony for the revitalisation of 30 Primary Healthcare Facilities across each of the 30 state constituencies in the state.

The governor stressed that the collaborative efforts with UNICEF leading to the delivery of this high-quality therapeutic food for the treatment of hundreds of malnourished children in its centers for Community Management of Acute Malnutrition is indeed, very timely as the product is almost out of stock in its over seventy CMAM Centers spread all over the State.

Namadi further stated that, “The intervention is also in line with our commitments to address concerns raised in the report on the Situation Analysis of Children in Jigawa. Specifically, these concerns include ensuring nutrition security for our children given the unfavorable statistics on such nutrition indices as wasting and stunting among children in the state.”

He assured that “We are, more than ever before, committed to doing whatever is necessary to change the narratives by sustaining and improving on all ongoing nutrition programs including the ongoing collaboration with UNICEF, to ensure that no child in the state is allowed to experience hunger and malnutrition.”

Ringim quoted her Principal to have said, “We all believe, the biggest tragedy that could happen to a child is to be afflicted with malnutrition at the formative stage of his or her life as the consequences of such an affliction are irreversible.”

The governor stressed that with a hampered cognitive capacity, the child is prevented from attaining his or her full potential in life.

“In addition to these collaborations, we also remain committed to sustaining and improving on our homegrown Masaki Nutrition Program which was meant to leverage locally available recipes with significant and positive impact on child nutrition,” the governor averred.

Speaking further on the strategic partnership, the governor noted that,”As I always say, UNICEF is the oldest and most consistent Development Partner collaborating with and supporting the efforts of successive Governments in the Jigawa State in the delivery of basic social services especially those that promotes the survival, protection and development of women and children.”

He maintained that, “For over three decades, UNICEF has continued to provide support in such areas as Health and Nutrition, Basic Education, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, social policy development, and Social Protection interventions among others.”

In her speech earlier, the UNICEF Country Representative, Miss Cristian Munduate expressed gratitude to the Jigawa state government for the long existing partnership and further assured readiness to continue supporting the development of the state.

Munduate stated that she was in Jigawa to witness Umar Namadi’s giant stride on the area of the health sector, and as well oversee the distribution RUTF procured in partnership with the Namadi-led administration.