No fewer than one million children and women have received nutrition supplements and other related services by the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project in Katsina state.
The Senior Health Specialist and World Bank Team Lead, ANRiN, Dr Ritgak Tilley-Gyado, disclosed this during the 2024 Assessment meeting on the project in Katsina.
She said the World Bank-funded project focuses on the prevention of malnutrition among pregnant women and lactating mothers including children under five years across the state.
She added: “Over one million women and children in Katsina State have accessed nutrition supplements and other related services delivered by ANRiN project. Though the project came on board quite late in the state, I believe with the strong state leadership demonstrated on the ground, we are able to accelerate progress.
“We are pleased with the progress we have seen so far. Insecurity in the northwest remains the only challenge that our service providers face because, sometimes they can’t access communities. They have limited access to the communities.
“We have to also make a link between insecurity and food insecurity because once there’s insecurity, people can’t farm, people can’t produce food which leads to food insecurity and once households become chronically food insecure, children in these households and even the pregnant women become more exposed to malnutrition.”
Earlier, the state Project Coordinator, Dr Umar Bindawa, said the project has also provided 700,000 pregnant and lactating mothers, including children under five with various nutrition interventions.
He said: “And for the child component, we give micronutrient powder to children under two, we deworm children under five, we also give zinc ors to children that are having diarrhoea.
“We also offer oriented intervention, which we are currently implementing in over 188 health facilities in the state. We have covered over 700,000 pregnant and lactating mothers including children under five with these interventions.”
Francis Sardauna in Katsina
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