The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday commended the Kaduna State Government for providing uninterrupted quality nutritional services for women and children in the state.
Dr Zakari Adam, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Kaduna, gave the commendation in Kaduna, during a Catch-up Meeting of food and nutrition stakeholders in the state, via Zoom.
Adam noted that the Coronavirus pandemic had created a huge challenge for effective implementation of child and women-centred programmes and interventions in the country.
He, however, said that Kaduna State was able to sustain uninterrupted access to nutrition and other child and women-centred services, “this is quite commendable.”
According to him, UNICEF will continue to provide technical support to the state in ensuring that women and children have access to critical services during the COVID-19 period.
“This is key because women and children are very vulnerable and need all the support they can get in this trying time, to ensure uninterrupted growth, survival and development of children.
“I am particularly urging the state government to ensure uninterrupted supply of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for the treatment of severe acute malnourished children,” he said.
Responding, the Programme Manager, Kaduna State Emergency Nutrition Action Plan (KADENAP), Mr Muhammad Awwal-Waziri, thanked UNICEF for the support.
Awwal-Waziri assured UNICEF that plans were already on ground to procure additional RUTF, which he described as “very critical” to the survival of severe acute malnourished children in the state.
He added that a memo was already written to that effect and was being fast tracked by KADENAP Chairperson, Mrs Aisha El-Rufa’i, for timely release of the needed fund for the procurement processes.
Also speaking, Mr Isah Ibrahim, Nutrition Advocacy Advisor, Save the Children International, said that development partners in the state would continue to provide technical support to ensure that children survived the pandemic.
“We will continue to support the government in ensuring that children nutrition and health services are not compromise throughout the COVID-19 crisis,” Ibrahim said.
