About 1, 097,048 women and children have received nutrition and adolescent health packages during the first year of the implementation of the World Bank-supported Accelerating Nutrition Result in Nigeria (ANRIN) in Kaduna state.
Project Coordinator, Society for Family Health (SFH) Kaduna State, Murtala Ibrahim and ANRIN project implementing partner disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Emir of Zazzau Malam Ahmed Bamalli on Wednesday in Zaria.
Ibrahim said in May 2021 the project requested the emir to become it’s ambassador which he graciously granted also saying that the visit was to update the emir on the ANRIN ambassador and the achievements of the project.
He said SFH was implementing the ANRIN project on behalf of Kaduna state because of the its’ expertise and SFH had achieved good results on the implementation.
The project coordinator said in the first year of the project implementation, it provided nine different interventions to women and children around nutrition and adolescent health.
“SFH provides counselling on exclusive breastfeeding to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers to enable them to support their babies and 150,000 women were reached in that category.
“Iron, folic acid and Malaria prevention drugs were also provided to over 80, 000 pregnant women for a healthy pregnancy and additional 40,000 women were reached with child spacing commodities to enable them to offer good care for their babies
“We have also de-wormed over 200,000 children and provided vitamin supplement to over 240,000 children aged five years and below,’’ he said.
He added that they provide ORS and Zinc to prevent diarrhea among children and over 100,000 households were reached with such services adding that additional over 86,000 infants received micronutrients powder to prevent malnutrition.
“ In all, over 1, 097,048 women and children were reached in the first year of the implementation of the program; this also shows that the project has reached 115 per cent of its target,’’ he explained.
Ibrahim said the project attributed its success to the immense support from the emirate council and urged the royal to sustain the advocacy of more adolescents to be in school.
He also appealed to the royal father for more support in the areas of funding to scale up the nutrition and adolescent health component of the project.
Earlier, the ANRIN Communications Officer Hajiya Mairo Tahir, said the project’s objectives were aimed at increasing quality and cost-effective nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls and children under five years in the state.
She added that the project was to also reduce chronic malnutrition and maternal mortality rate which were high in the state and the project recorded tremendous success in reversing the ugly indices since its commencement.
According to her, the World Bank supported ANRIN Project and the Kaduna State Project Implementing Unit (PIU) has secured $2.7m USD about N1.9bn for treatment of malnourished children in the state.
The fund was used for the purchase of ready to use thereauphatic food (RUTF) and food had provided significant improvement in the life of these children affected by the malnutrition in the state.
She, therefore, craved the indulgence of the Emir of Zazzau, Malam Ahmad Bamalli to deploy his staff to assist in tracking implementation of the supply of commodities in the emirate.
In a remark, Malam Ahmad Bamalli, Emir of Zazzau commended the program for its outstanding performance and encouraged people to come up with new projects meant for the community to pass through the emirate council for optimal results.
He reiterated the commitment of the emirate council to sustain the support for the project.
COV/ Ibrahim Suleiman