UNICEF Expresses Commitment to Building Healthier Future for Women, Children, Families

Amby Uneze in Owerri

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed commitment to support the building of a healthier future for women, children and families even as the world body sued for greater State investment in the Child Nutrition Fund in supporting the procurement of multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) and other essential nutrition commodities.

Expressing this desire yesterday in the opening of a three-day Review and Validation meeting of the Nutrition Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Strategy for Imo state held in Owerri, the state capital, the Chief of UNICEF Enugu Field Office, Mrs. Juliet Chiluwe, said that it would strengthen sustainability, unlock additional partner support and ensure continued access to life saving nutrition interventions for women and children.

The programme which attracted commissioners, permanent secretaries of ministries, Development Partners, representatives of MDAs, academia and the media was organised by the Imo State Ministry of Health, Imo State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ISPHCDA) and UNICEF with support from Gates Foundation.

Relying on evidence which shows that MMS is a cost effective intervention that helps to reduce anaemia, low birth weight still-births and other adverse maternal and child health outcomes, Mrs. Chiluwe called for a sustained effort that requires strong government ownership, coordinated implementation and increased domestic investment.

She commended the Imo State government and all stakeholders for their leadership and dedication to advancing the nutrition agenda, assuring that UNICEF would ever remain committed to supporting the state in building a healthier future for women, children and families.

Declaring the function open, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Chioma Egu, noted that nutrition remains the foundation of human critical development, stressing that without adequate nutrition, especially during the critical first 1,000 days of life, children are less likely to achieve their full physical and cognitive potential.

She said, “Malnutrition continues to affect educational attainment, productivity, economic growth and the well-being of future generations and this is why today’s exercise is not only technical in nature but transformational in its purpose and expected impact.”

Dr. Egu explained that the nutrition SBC strategy across the life cycle is a people-centred approach, aimed at helping individuals and families make healthier nutrition choices at every stage of life. from pregnancy and infancy to childhood, adolescent, adulthood and old age.

This strategy, according to her, promotes good nutrition practices such as proper maternal nutrition, exclusive breast feeding, appropriate complementary feeding, micronutrient supplementation, healthy eating habits, hygiene and timely utilisation of health services.

“Through community engagement advocacy, counselling, interpersonal communication and strategic partnerships,” the commissioner disclosed that the strategy seeks to improve awareness, encourage positive behaviour change and create supportive environment where families could thrive saying “ultimately, it is designed to reduce malnutrition, improve health outcomes and enhance the overall wellbeing and quality of life of the people of the state.”

She commended Governor Hope Uzodimma for his commitment to strengthening the health sector and for improving the well-being of the people of the state.

In the same view, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic planning, Mr. Anslem Anyanwu, noted that nutrition remains central to human capital development, economic productivity, educational attainment and the overall well-being of the people, adding “malnourished children result in a deficient nation.”

Anyanwu however regretted that despite ongoing efforts, malnutrition in all its forms continues to pose significant challenges especially among women, adolescents and children within the first 1000 days of life – a period universally recognised as the foundation for life long health and development.

He acknowledged the support of the Gates Foundation which through UNICEF is supporting Imo State to scale up the provision of multiple micronutrient supplementation to pregnant women across the state.

“The inclusion of BMGF supported multiple micronutrient supplementation scale up plan further strengthens our collective resolve to address maternal malnutrition and reduce preventable adverse pregnancy outcomes and MMS has the potential to reduce anaemia, low birth weight, still births and other preventable complications, while contributing to healthy pregnancies and improved child survival.”

In her remarks, the Executive Secretary of Imo SPHCDA, Kosilisochukwu Ekenjoku, observed that good nutrition is central to building a strong and productive society, and plays a key role in shaping human capital and supporting sustainable development.

She regretted that in spite of the contributions of the Imo State government, UNICEF and donor agencies, malnutrition in various forms continues to affect many people in our communities, especially pregnant women, infants, young children, and other vulnerable groups.

At the ceremony which featured goodwill messages from permanent secretaries of ministries, the Director community Health care services – Dr. Okere Emeka Stanley said “we want to reduce malnutrition through getting protein and we are domesticating and educating the women on which is good for the children. We have done advocacy and ante-natal care services to improve our nutritional status. MMS is free in all the health centres and anyone who commercialises it will be prosecuted.