By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
Malnutrition is one of the causes of death among under five children in Bauchi State. It is also the cause of stunting and wasting that impedes growth to full potential among these categories of human population.
Wasting, stunting and micronutrient deficiencies threaten the survival, growth and development of young children, as well as the societies and economies of the State.
Either way that one looks at the damage Malnutrition is causing to Bauchi children through death, wasting or stunting, it is glaringly clear that malnutrition needs to be nip at the bud before the bulk of future human capital is wasted.
The enormity of malnutrition in Bauchi State can be seen in the current available Government Statistics and other surveys and studies conducted by world bodies like UNICEF, WHO, USAID etc.
According to National Bureau of Statistics’ Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 2021), the practice of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) is lower in Bauchi State compared to North East Region and the National Rates, except for minimum meal frequency.
The survey indicates that frequency of exclusive breastfeeding, which is the first line of nutrition for children aged 0 – 6 months, is a mere 26 percent, while minimum dietary diversity in children is only 17 percent (the lowest in the North East).
Also, the MICS 2021 indicates that the minimum acceptable diet for children in Bauchi State is painfully only 4 percent as against 9 percent in the entire North East and 12 percent Nationally.
These worrisome data is a clear indicator of how children nutrition is fairing in Bauchi State. What this means is that, there is a threat to future human capital resource in Bauchi State.
Health experts strongly believed that the first 1,000 days of a child is crucial for physical development and brain growth and that a woman’s nutrition during pregnancy, breastfeeding as well as baby’s nurturing care in the first two years is extremely important for a healthy future of any child.
Maternal and child nutrition and health can determine the child’s ability to grow, and poor nutrition in the first 1,000 days may cause irreversible damage to a child’s growing brain and body.
It is instructive to note that preventing Malnutrition in Children comes in different stages before a child becomes an adult. But the 2 critical stages that poses danger to child development are those stages between 0-6 months where the newborn is expected to be exclusively breastfed. Then comes the period after six months when the child is being introduced to some select nutrition dense solid foods to complement breast milk. Thereafter, full young feeding commences until the child reaches the age of Eighteen (18).
But as it is and, from the MICS 2021 data presented above, Bauchi State newborns, infants and young children are experiencing the lowest uptake of exclusive breastfeeding and nutritional diets which made them prone to being afflicted with malnutrition, wasting, stunting and severe acute malnutrition.
It is important to mention what constitute the minimum dietary foods for healthy growth and development of a child. There are Eight (8) food groups that made up healthy diet. These groups of food are: 1- Breast milk, 2- Grains, Roots , Tubers and Plantains, 3 – Pulses (beans , peas, lentils), Nuts and Seeds, 4 – Dairy Products (milk, infants formula, yogurt, cheese), 5 – Flesh Foods ( meat, fish, poultry, offal meats), 6 – Eggs, 7 – Vitamin-A rich fruits and vegetables and 8 – Other fruits and vegetables.
WHO standard stipulated that , If children are fed with only 2 of the 8 food groups mentioned above per day, then the children are experiencing chronic food poverty that could trigger severe acute malnutrition, wasting and stunting. The report further said that feeding 3 to 4 of the food groups per day indicates moderate food poverty and that feeding on 5 or more of the food groups per day suggests that the minimum dietary diversity is being met.
But as it is, even exclusive breastfeeding in Bauchi State, which is God given and also the first line of defence against the scourge of Malnutrition is very low, not to talk of having the minimum dietary requirement for healthy growth and development of children which to many is seen as luxury.
But, luxury or not, uptake of these groups of food is the defence mechanism against malnutrition, wasting and stunting among children.
Bauchi State Government should explore all avenues in the prevention of malnutrition among children in order to secure future human capital resource of the state.
Reports by UNICEF and WHO said that, it is more cost effective to prevent malnutrition than to cure it. The amount of money spent in the treatment of Malnutrition far outweighs the cost spent on its prevention.
To buttress the need for prevention, UNICEF’s Regional Director, West and Central Africa Marie-Pierre Poirier is quoted as saying, “While treatment remains an impretive to save the lives of children mostly severely affected, we must shift the paradigm and focus on scaling interventions to prevent malnutrition”.
Though there are other competing needs in social services delivery such as education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), social protection etc that Bauchi State Government needs to provide to children amidst scarse resources, securing the future of these children through prevention of malnutrition, wasting and stunting in communities should be a priority, due to the dangers it poses for nurturing the productive and quality future human resource of the state.
The Children’s Nutrition Fund to the Rescue
Children’s Nutrition Fund (CNF) is a global program or organization that provides financial support and resources to ensure children have access to nutritious food and adequate nutrition. The specific goals and activities of a CNF may vary from one country to another, but common objectives include:
1. Reducing hunger and malnutrition, through providing meals, snacks, or food assistance to children in need.
2. Promoting healthy eating habits by way of educating children and families about the importance of proper nutrition and healthy food choices.
3. Supporting nutrition education and awareness, through funding programs that teach caregivers, children and communities about nutrition and healthy lifestyles.
4. Advocating for children’s nutrition rights, by working to ensure that all children have access to nutritious food and clean water.
Some examples of Children’s Nutrition Funds Intervention include: UNICEF’s Nutrition Program which is working to improve nutrition for children worldwide, especially in emergency and crisis situations. In this regard, the Progressing Action on Resilient Systems for Nutrition through Innovation and Partnership (PARSNIP) Program that is currently being implemented by Gombe State with technical support from UNICEF Bauchi Field Office readily comes to mind.
Others are Save the Children’s Nutrition Program, which focuses on reducing malnutrition and improving nutrition for children around the world, while the Global Child Nutrition Fund supports school meal programs and nutrition education in developing countries.
These funds play a critical role in ensuring children receive the necessary nutrients for growth, development, and overall well-being.
The major prerequisite for accessing the CNF is for the Bauchi State Government to provide the minimum matching fund of 100 Million Naira that will be matched, in equal sum, by the donor organisations of CNF.
This is a window of opportunity for the State Government to utilise and channel such resources into programs and activities that would prevent Malnutrition among children, pregnant and lactating mothers in the State, especially those living in the hard-to-reach rural communities where the prevalence of Malnutrition is very high.
CNF does not stop at the minimum amount only, no! If Bauchi State is willing to put in even a Billion Naira for that course, CNF will matched every penny. This goes to show the importance CNF Organisations places on preventing Malnutrition across the world.
Little wonder then how neighboring States like Adamawa, Gombe and Plateau are keying into the CNF interventions.
Another advantage of CNF is the five pronged approach to prevention of malnutrition the intervention designed, of which States have the option of either taking one of the approach or more depending on the nutritional needs of the state.
So, matched funds under CNF can be channel to addres: 1 – Weight gain monitoring, nutrition counselling, micronutrient supplements, deworming and malaria control for women, particularly during pregnancy.
2 – Support for exclusive and continued breastfeeding in the first two years of life.
3 – Adequate complementary foods with micronutrient supplements.
4 – Food supplements for young under five children and for women, particularly those we are pregnant or breastfeeding and,
5 – Early detection of Child wasting and treatment with ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF).
From the enumerated five pronged approach listed above, CNF program could be seen as an all-encompassing strategy developed to prevent Malnutrition.
Our correspondent had gotten a first hand field experience on the efficacy and effectiveness of CNF implementation program in Kalorgu community of Kaltungo LGA of Gombe State.
As stated in the foregoing, Gombe State was among the first States in the North East Region to take advantage of the CNF window for the prevention of malnutrition in the State.
Daily Chronicle practically saw, in Kalorgu community, how mothers and expectant mothers were taught the art of making nutrition dense foods, using available local crops cultivated in the community, to be given as complementary diets to children aged 6 to 25 months.
Aside from being exposed to preparation of nutrition dense diets sourced locally, the women and male caregivers were consistently reminded on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months in the life of infants.
Sharing their experiences before and the ongoing implementation of the PARSNIPS Intervention under the CNF program, mothers, service providers and community leaders were full of commendation for the Gombe State Government and UNICEF.
They all agreed that the health status of their children is greatly enhanced due to the complementary diets that is being given to the children.
“Not only our children are growing up chubby without any health challenges associated with children, but even me, the mother, my health conditions are stable and even the quantity of the breast milk has increased tremendously”, said Habiba Umar, a 26 year old lactating mother
“If only we had known about such locally sourced complementary diets, our children would not have suffered due to malnutrition. I am going to be following this complementary feeding exercise religiously to enable my family benefit from it”, said another lactating mother, Asma’u Ya’u.
All the service providers interviewed showered their encomiums to lactating mothers for imbibing the 6 months exclusive breastfeeding practice and also complementing the practice with improved uptake of local nutrition dense complementary diets.
It is heartwarming to note that Bauchi State Government under Governor Bala Mohammed has demonstrated unquestioned political will in keying into all donor programs that would enhance the health status of the citizens. Not only does the Government demonstrate political will, but most times also accompany such actions with financial backing.
Recently, when UNICEF Ambassador on Child Health Kate Henshaw and management staff of UNICEF FOB paid an advocacy visit to Governor at the Government House Bauchi, the Governor pledged his administration interest of keying into the CNF program. Stakeholders in the health applauded this decision on the part of the State Government, however over one month now after making that pledge at the executive chamber of the Government House amidst applauses from both State and non Stake actors, Governor Bala Mohammed is yet to make good his pledge in that direction. Considering the fact that Bauchi State has the highest number of malnourished children in the North East (MICS 2021), the State should be seen as the one on the vanguard in the implementation of the CNF Interventions.
Investing Nutrition is one of the smartest investments a state can make to break the cycle of poverty, address inequality, and boost productivity later in life. Today, millions of young children are not reaching their full potential because of inadequate nutrition
Bauchi State Government should take the window of opportunity of the Matched Nutrition Fund contribution to improve the health and nutrition of children 6 to 23 months in the state.
The above assertion was succinctly captured by Philomena Irene, UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office Nutrition Specialist when she said, “Investing in nutrition-specific interventions is not only vital for a child’s survival, but it is also one of the best value-for money development actions Bauchi State Government can take, paving the way for tomorrow’s growing economies and their workforce”.
It is imperative to conclude this article saying that, “Nutrition commences from conception to newborn until the baby grows into an adolescent and then an adult. The first 1000 days of life – between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday – is a unique period of opportunity when the foundations for optimum health and development across the lifespan are established. The right nutrition and care during the 1000 day window influences not only whether the child will survive, but also his or her ability to grow, learn and rise out of poverty. As such, it contributes to society’s long-term health, stability, and prosperity”.
The time to take action is now Your Excellency!
Abubakar is a Bauchi based freelance development journalist
bashirhassan3788@gmail.com
(Some featured pictures used are for illustrative purposes only)