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Tackling malnutrition via capacity building for stakeholders
By Joy Odigie News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
“I couldn’t feed my three children when my husband abandoned me five years ago. My first child was about nine years old then, while my two other children were about four and two years respectively’’.
These are the pathetic words of Mrs Stella Obasuyi, a petty trader in Benin City, Edo State
Obasuyi, who is currently seeking medical treatment for her two children with stunted growth, says she will be very happy if her children could start growing according to their ages.
“When people ask me about my children’s age, I feel embarrassed to tell them because they look smaller than their age.
“The youngest, who is seven years old, looks like a three-year-old, while the older child looks like a five-year-old even though she is nine years old.
“I was devastated when my husband left us. He was the breadwinner of the family while I was assisting in my own little way.
“I couldn’t feed the children with good food because I was left all alone to provide shelter, food, and educational needs for them.
“I noticed that the two younger ones were not growing well like their mates, but I didn’t know that it was caused by malnutrition.”
“It was not until six months ago, when I took them to the hospital, that I was told that they were malnourished. I was told to feed them a balanced diet, food containing vegetables, fruits, protein, and so on.
‘`I am now working very hard to provide good food for my children, but the problem is that it is not easy for me. My income is small, and things are quite expensive in the market”, she said.
Obasuyi’s story is a poignant reminder of the severe impact of malnutrition on families in Nigeria.
According to the World Health Organisation malnutrition remains a significant public health issue in Nigeria, with the country ranking second globally in the burden of stunted children under 5 years old.
“Severe acute malnutrition affects an estimated 19 million children under 5 years of age worldwide and is estimated to account for approximately 400,000 child deaths each year’’, says a WHO report.
According to UNICEF, severe acute malnutrition remains a major killer of children under five years of age. The situation is worse in developing countries such as Nigeria.
In spite the efforts of various government and non-governmental organizations to address this issue, progress has been slow.
One promising approach to tackling malnutrition is through capacity building for stakeholders.
This involves equipping local healthcare workers, community leaders, educationists, and agriculturalists with the knowledge and resources needed to promote proper nutrition.
To this end, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with Edo State Government recently organised an eight day capacity building workshop on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) for relevant stakeholders.
The Training of Trainers (TOT) course was sponsored by the World Bank in collaboration with Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria, ANRiN.
Dr Lois Oriyike, nutrition consultant for the TOT programme, said it was targeted at directly training 120 health personnel in each state of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory.
Oriyike said, “If we know the skills in MIYCN counselling, it will go a long way to reduce malnutrition in children. “It has become necessary that we step up real action to address this situation
“Nutrition issues are yet to get the attention it should get. It has a major role to play in the development of any nation.
“Any child that is deprived of good nutrition from gestation; the first 1000 days of life, you have deprived the whole nation of the value that the person should have added to societal development.
She further said, “Mothers should eat healthy food before pregnancy, during pregnancy and during lactation.
“Breastfeeding is a major health intervention for babies. So, nutritious food should be available to mothers and adolescent girls who will also become mothers in the future.
She stressed the role of fathers in curbing infant and young child malnutrition, noting that breastfeeding was not a woman’s affair.
Similarly, Dr Eseigbe Efeomon, Director of Disease Control and Immunisation at the Edo Primary Health Care Development Agency, emphasised the importance of training trainers to educate healthcare workers on MIYCN.
Efeomon said, “This initiative aims to address the growing malnutrition problem in Nigeria, which stems from both lack of knowledge and food insecurity.
“With the current economic challenges, it is crucial to promote the consumption of locally produced, healthy foods”, Efeomon said.
He said that educating mothers on breastfeeding techniques and the significance of proper nutrition would help protect children from diseases and ensure proper growth.
“Well-nourished individuals have stronger immunity and are better equipped to resist common illnesses.”
According to Dr Olufemi Olaniyi, Consultant Paediatrician Haematologist at University of Benin Teaching Hospital, malnutrition contributes to 50 per cent of under-five mortality.
“Malnutrition is either a primary problem or diseases can make children malnourished.
“So, addressing malnutrition is a key intervention in stemming the tide of children dying early”, Olaniyi said.
Olaniyi, a participant at the training, noted that people needed to be empowered to improve their economic status to enable them to tackle malnutrition.
“The fact that food is expensive means that people need to be empowered to afford the necessary food that will provide a balanced diet for their children and even for breastfeeding mothers’’, he said.
In the case of Mrs Stella’s children, where the malnutrition was obvious, Olaniyi, says malnutrition can be hidden, which is known as hidden hunger.
“A child can be eating large quantities of food, but if these foods don’t have the required amount of micronutrients, they can have nutrient deficiencies called hidden hunger.
“Iron, iodine, and zinc are part of micronutrients. If children are not getting enough, they may have poor cognitive functions. The children are not sharp, the brain is not developing optimally”, he said.
Mr David Ogubor, Director of Agricultural Services and Extension, Edo Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, another participant, said the training was apt.
Ogubor said the ministry was advocating for homestead farming, assuring that extension agents would educate women farmers on planting local food to mitigate hunger
“For those of us who are in the agricultural sector, nutrition comes from producing food; the cereals, legumes and vegetables.
“The amount that is available at every meal is very important. We engage with communities, and we will take this message of nutrition to our farmers, especially women, on ways to improve the nutrition status of their families.
Emphasising the correlation between nutrition and academic performance, Mrs Josephine Irabor, Health and Safety Officer, Edo State Universal Education Board, said child nutrition should be given top priority.
Irabor said knowledge gained at the TOT training would be cascaded to both teachers and pupils in order to produce both healthy and intelligent children.
“It is only when children are healthy that they can do well in their academics. The knowledge and skills acquired will be cascaded in schools.
“Teachers would be taught nutrition so that they can teach the children the importance of eating healthy foods.
“A child that is not well fed can easily become sick and not be able to come to school”, she said.
She urged mothers to give their children more locally sourced food, like maize and vegetables rather than processed food.
All hands must be on deck to tackle malnutrition in the state, says Mrs Phi-Imade Amenze, Edo State Nutrition Officer.
Amenze said the TOT training was to empower health workers and other stakeholders with specific knowledge on good counselling for breastfeeding mothers.
She said the training was also about how mothers could be educated to use food within their locality to feed their children.
We need initiatives that involve hospitals, workplaces, communities, traditional and religious institutions to improve MIYCN”, she said.
There is no doubt that TOT capacity building initiatives on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition aims to empower those on the frontlines with the tools to identify and address malnutrition effectively.
It is therefore expected that the trainers cascade the knowledge and skills acquired to other stakeholders as well as to the grassroots.
By prioritising nutrition education and support at the grassroots there is hope that the cycle of malnutrition can be broken, ensuring a healthier future for the children of Nigeria. (NANFeatures)
**If edited please credit the writer and News Agency of Nigeria
