Sweden will support 280,000 with 2.7 million dollars to curb malnutrition in Nigeria – Arise News
More than 280,000 pregnant women, caregivers and children under the age of five will be supported with maternal nutrition counseling and emergency malnutrition services under a new funding package supported by SIDA.
The new $ 26 million ($ 2.7 million) funding, to be implemented by UNICEF and partners, will also help improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene for 86,000 conflict-affected women and children in northeastern Nigeria.
A press release on Wednesday by UNICEF lamented that 13 years of armed conflict in northeastern Nigeria have left women and children in acute vulnerability. Congestion in camps and settlements, high rates of open stools and poor sanitation have put conflict-affected families and children at risk for preventable disease outbreaks and deaths. Uncertainty, loss of livelihoods, high food prices and covid-19 together have put 4.1 million people in need of food aid, which has drastically affected the food and nutritional quality available to children in the region. ”
It further condemned that northeastern Nigeria is currently experiencing its highest burden of acute malnutrition since 2016, with a 34 percent expected increase in the burden of acute malnutrition during the lean season of 2022, compared to 2021. Unless urgent action is taken, at At least 1.7 million children under the age of five in northeastern Nigeria will need emergency malnutrition in 2022.
UNICEF’s representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, is quoted in the statement as saying: “Malnutrition, the single most deadly threat to children’s survival and development, is giving children in northeastern Nigeria a deadly hand.”
He added that: “Uncertainty, global increases in food prices and ongoing humanitarian efforts aimed at early detection at the household level result in a record number of under five children showing symptoms of acute malnutrition and in need of emergency life-saving services.
“UNICEF is grateful that the support from SIDA will not only help scale treatment services for more children and address contributing water and sanitation issues in camps and settlements, but will also help increase investment in preventive nutrition services for pregnant women. women and breastfeeding mothers with maternal nutrition services. ”
Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri