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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), has expressed concerns about the rising cases of malnutrition among children in Nigeria and other parts of the world.
It noted that around 11 million children (one in every three) under five years of age, in Nigeria are experiencing severe child food poverty, making them up to 50 per cent more likely to experience wasting, a life-threatening form of malnutrition.
This was contained in a new UNICEF report titled “The Child Food Poverty: Nutrition Deprivation in Early Childhood Report” that was released in Abuja, on Friday.
It said the report analysed the impacts and causes of dietary deprivation among the world’s youngest and most vulnerable, i.e. children under five years of age, in nearly 100 countries, and across income groups, adding that Nigeria ranked among the 20 countries that account for almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of the 181 million children, globally, living in severe child food poverty.
The report warned that while countries are still recovering from the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of growing inequities, conflicts, and the climate crisis, have pushed food prices and the cost of living to record high levels.
It noted that in Nigeria, several factors fueled the child food poverty crisis which included food systems that failed to provide children with nutritious, safe and accessible options; families’ inability to afford nutritious foods; and parents’ inability to adopt and sustain positive child feeding practices.
UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, Cristian Munduate, in her remarks, said “children grappling with severe child food poverty are more likely to face the life-threatening consequences of wasting, thereby, impacting their survival and growth.
“Global leaders and individuals urgently need to work together to address child food poverty and make nutritious options more accessible and affordable, especially for the vulnerable families.”
To end child food poverty, UNICEF called on governments, development and humanitarian organizations, donors, civil society and the food and beverage industry to urgently transform food systems so that nutritious, diverse and healthy foods are the most accessible, affordable and desirable option for caregivers to feed young children.
It also suggested they leverage health systems to deliver essential nutrition services to prevent and treat malnutrition in early childhood, including support for community health and nutrition workers to counsel parents and families on child feeding and care practices.
“In addition to that, activate social protection systems to address income poverty through social transfers (cash, food and vouchers), in ways that are responsive to the food and nutrition needs of vulnerable children and their families; and to accelerate actions to prevent, detect and treat severe child food poverty and malnutrition.”
It, thus, made reference to Child Nutrition Fund (CNF), a UNICEF-led multi-partner financing mechanism that was launched in Nigeria last year with the support of several partners to encourage domestic investments to end child malnutrition.
UNICEF, however, confirmed that four states have released funds to the CNF, while nine more states have pledged their commitments, thus urging governments, donors and financial partners to support the CNF and prioritise practices to end severe child food poverty and malnutrition.
