The Kebbi State Nutrition Officer, Mrs Eunice Erey Dabai has encouraged caregivers in the state to redouble their efforts in supporting and Promoting Nutrition practices to compliment government's efforts towards increasing adequate nutrients intake among people of the state.
She made the appeal while receiving representatives of caregivers in the state at the venue of the state Training of Trainers (ToT) on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition Course taking place from 8th to 17th July, 2024 at Kamba Motel Birnin Kebbi.
She described the visit as timely and welcome development, because it is at a time that Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Abuja, Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) and World Bank, jointly organize the Training of Trainers in all the states of the Federation with a view to train health workers on how to create awareness and educate families, Communities and other stakeholders in Nutrition practices at grassroots levels.
Mrs. Dabai further told the caregivers that in the course of discharging their jobs at homes, facilities or Breastfeeding child friendly centers there is outmost need for them to observe the Maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition practices as will soon be impacted on them by the MIYCN participants that are selected from different parts of the state.
The state Nutrition Officer expressed concerned that despite the different verities of food that Kebbi state is blessed with, it still has a high rate of stunted children, explaining that the cause of this deformity is as a result of imbalance intake of adequate nutrients by the mothers during pregnancy and beyond.
Mrs, Eunice then called on them and the entire people of Kebbi State to encourage their families to use local food items and ingredients in their meals with a view to providing adequate nutrients in order to end Malnutrition in the state, describing the number of children found malnourished in the Medical facilities visited by the course participants as alarming and sympathetic.
The State Nutrition Officer took round the caregivers to the MIYCN Kebbi Participants Market, with the support of Mr. Michael, a facilitator to show the displayed food items and explained the Nutritional benefits of each, urging them to take the visit as an immediate step of changing them to accepting the MIYCN practices for the betterment of Kebbi State and Nigeria as a whole.
In a remarks, one of the participants Malam Altine, pointed out that the participants were delightful for the visit as it will assist them in communicating and promoting the Nutrition practices to the members of the caregivers across the state.
While thanking them for the visit, he added that the participants decided to buy the food items for onward submission to them so that they can prepare different types of meals by using the method been described to them to serve as a test and sustain the gesture to improve Nutrition practices in the state.
Ado Bako
AD(Inf &PR)
MIYCN Facilitator(FMOH &SW), Kebbi State.
