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From Timothy Olanrewaju, Mauduguri
The United Nations Children:s Fund (UNICEF) and Borno State government have launched a youth-led innovation initiative to develop locally sourced nutrition for pregnant women and children.
UNICEF Chief of Borno field office, Mr Tarek Akkad in an address at the launch of the Youth-led Nutrition Innovation Challenge in Maiduguri yesterday announced that the initiative was designed to provide a low-cost nutrition meal plan for vulnerable families in Borno State.
“One of the objectives of this challenge is the protection of children from acute malnutrition in the first 1, 000 days of life. It will also ensure that pregnant women and young children in the host communities and IDP camps can access nutritious food that are affordable and readily available” he explained.
Akkad who was represented by the UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Aminu Usman, said the programme brings together young people working to design affordable meal plans from local foods for the most vulnerable families.
He disclosed that UNICEF was in collaboration with the Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Board, U-Report and the Foundation for Alternative Learning in Underserved Communities (FALUC) to ensure good nutrition for pregnant mothers and children
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He said the programme focuses on Jere and Maiduguri Metropolitan Council. He said beneficiaries are expedited to emerge from these local government areas.
“We are looking at how we can use locally available food items to prevent malnutrition among women and children” he explained.
In his remark, Project Coordinator of the Borno State Youth-led Nutrition Innovation Challenge, Silver Faith discloses that the winner of the challenge will receive cash reward of N300,000 to bring their implementation to life.
He said the inactive will compliment the RUTF been given to children.
Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Board (SPHCB), Dr Mala Abdulrahman assured of government commitment to provide institutional leadership for the initiative.
“We will place it on our PHC platform by connecting it to health structures, mothers’ support groups and the families who need it most” he promised.
