UNICEF Launches Malnutrition Preventing Project Funded by Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

• Partner Katsina in move to tackle non-compliance cases in immunisation

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa and Francis Sardauna in Katsina

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Bayelsà State Government, yesterday launched a $25 million Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint funded one-year project on prevention of malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of a life.

Funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint, Bayelsà State Government and UNICEF, the project seek to give every child born in the state a fighting chance not just to survive, but to grow, to learn, and to reach their full potential.

In another development, the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency (KSPHCA), with the support of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has intensified community engagement efforts to address cases of Non-Compliance (NC) and Child Absent (CA) in a renewed push to improve routine immunisation coverage across the state.

The initiative follows the implementation of the Majalisa Rigakafi programme in the eight zero-dose implementing Local Government Areas, where communities were mobilised to identify and vaccinate children who had never received routine vaccines.

This was revealed at a one-day orientation for the Majalisa Rigakafi members and local governments health educators on polio non-compliance, non-compliance resolution skills and data tools held at Classique Event Centre on Tuesday in Katsina.

Meanwhile, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucre, in his key note address, at grant inception meeting with Local Government stakeholders on the Latter-Day Saint Church ((LDSC) grant for prevention of malnutrition in the state, emphasized the importance of this initiative.

He added the project is designed to address the critical period from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday, ensuring that children receive the necessary nutrition for healthy growth and development.

The project’s focus is to combat the high rates of stunting and anemia among children and pregnant women in Nigeria, with the goal of breaking the cycle of malnutrition and its long-term effects on individuals’ health and well-being.

She said, “We are here to launch a one-year project on prevention of malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life. This gives every child born in this state a fighting chance not just to survive, but to grow, to learn, and to reach their full potential. That is what the first 1,000 days of life protect.

“From the moment a woman becomes pregnant to her child’s second birthday, a body and a brain are being built. What happens in that window cannot be undone later.

“The most recent national survey, the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS 2024), found that more than one in four children in Nigeria are stunted, and nearly half of pregnant women are anemic.

“That is exactly what this project, and the funding behind it, is built to change. Stunting means a child’s body, and often their brain, did not get enough good food early in life to grow as it should.

“These are children who will struggle more in school, and who may struggle later to earn a living, through no fault of their own. That is why today matters. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints chose to fund this project in Bayelsa State for one year.

“The Bayelsa State Government added 140 million naira of its own, and UNICEF matched it with another 140 million. Government and donors, side by side, putting real money behind children who cannot yet speak for themselves.”

The State Commissioner of Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibie, while thanking the donor and UNICEF, he said the gesture will go a long way in helping in the fight against malnutrition.

Represented Dr. Williams Appah, Executive Secretary Primary HealthCare Board, said that the malnutrition grant is for four Local Government Area of Bayelsa, appealing to donors to let the grant get to the children in the other local government areas.

He said that the Bayelsa State Government has equally contributed their quoter to ensure that stunted growth in children should be a thing of the past in Bayelsa.

According to him, before this time I and my colleagues have been assisting children with stunted growth, but with the grant from donors, and proper orientation malnutrition will be properly addressed.

The Chairman of Ogbia Local Government Area, Hon. Golden Jeremiah, represented by the Secretary of the Council Amakuro Isaac, equally praised the church of latter day and UNICEF, while asking other donor agencies to emulate them.

He said the council will take full advantage of the project and monitor it appropriately to achieve the required results.

Meanwhile, addressing the participants, the Katsina State Health Educator, Dr. Mukhtar Mahmud, said the orientation aimed at sustaining the gains recorded under the programme by strengthening follow-up activities to ensure that children who missed vaccinations are reached in the next phase of the exercise.

He said: “The specific objectives of this event is to orient and equip Majalisa Rigakafi members and local governments health educators with the knowledge, skills, tools and clear roles required to effectively support non-compliance resolution.

“It will also enhance them with the knowledge to identify, referral, follow-up and vaccination of zero-dose and missed children, while strengthening community engagement, monitoring, data quality and reporting of Majalisa Rigakafi activities.”

He said the initiative was launched in December 2024 by the First Lady of the state, Hajiya Zulaihat Dikko Radda to address low routine immunization coverage and the high burden of zero-dose children in eight priority local governments of Batagarawa, Baure, Funtua, Kankara, Katsina, Mani, Rimi, and Safana.

He explained the Majalisa Rigakafi, a community engagement programme supported by UNICEF and implemented in the eight local governments, had improved routine immunisation coverage and reduced the number of zero-dose children.

He stated that members of the Majalisa Rigakafi initiative had conducted outreach activities in 213 settlements, sensitised 7,829 caregivers and community members on the importance of routine immunisation and child health between August and October 2025.

He stressed the programme had established a community-based immunisation defaulter tracking system that identified 2,969 children who had missed scheduled vaccinations within the period under review.

“Of these, 2,698 were referred to health facilities for immunisation, while 2,069 successfully received their missed vaccine doses”, the health educator said.

He further disclosed the initiative has strengthened male involvement in child healthcare, enhanced community ownership of immunisation programmes in the state, and improved collaboration between community leaders and healthcare workers.