NGO Trains Ebonyi Communities On Child Nutrition

From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo A large number of persons selected across all the component communities of Izzi LGA, on Thursday 7th April, 2022 were educated on maternal and child nutrition by the members of a Non-governmental organization known as First Humanitarian Medic Plus Initiative (FHMP) in Ebonyi State.

It was learnt that Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development through its National Home Grown School Feeding Programme had engaged FHMP to deliver a child intensive nutrition intervention with the aim of improving community knowledge and raise awareness on preventive measures against malnutrition. Addressing Newsmen at the end of the two days workshop held at Iboko, the headquarters of Izzi LGA, FHMP facilitator, Mr. Umar Abdulazak Karabonde told us that his office in collaboration with the Federal Ministry had organized a similar programme across the six geo-political zones which Ebonyi State was chosen from the South East region as the place with the highest rate of malnutrition.

“Once with we arrive in any state, through consultations, a particular local government area will be recommended and the essence of the programme is to enhance the understanding of the participants and community volunteers on infants and young child feeding practices” he said. He added that other reason were to remould the eating habits of the people which would go a long way in preventing the health issue and also enlighten the people on water sanitation, hygiene and growth monitoring and promotion. “No one can say that our environments lack food rather the problem is how to eat the food and when, with the training the revived children will be prevented from falling into relapse or re-occurrence” he explained. Executive Secretary, Ebonyi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Mrs Barry Oko, in her speech commended both the Ministry and the organization for choosen Ebonyi for the event and thereby charged the partakers for proactive measure so that the effect of the programme could be seen in the lives of the children. " The purpose of this training is for you to put it into use by practicing the idea in your respective homes and also pass the knowledge to other persons within your localities. " With these approaches, you will easily find out a better health condition of your children within a shortest period, once more I appreciate all the partners in this event" she added. The council chairman, Hon. Paul James Nwogha represented by Mrs. Philomena Ibo, the Administrative Secretary of Izzi LGA described the exercise as welcome development and also thanked both the governments and the organization for providing the people with such opportunity adding that he would not relent in stepping down the sensitization to the grassroot. “We will follow it up to ensure that the enlightenment is spread across the hinterlands and in the course of doing this, I will equally tell people that the nutrition starts from the period of pregnancy. “Because at that stage, the children will get colostrum known as the first breast milk after birth that is usually yellow, with this exercise the wrong impression which some mothers have over the milk will be corrected. “Additionally, people have equally learnt that the children should not always be provided with starchy foods rather the diets will always be alternated with protein foods and other vitamins” he said. The chairman also promised of providing all the necessary assistances to both the participants and the officers in charge of the facilities to enable the organization achieve its target. Mr. Cyprian Ogbonna, Nutrition officer in Ebonyi State Ministry of Health attributed the unimpressive result in the struggle towards malnutrition to paucity of fund and thereby requested for partnership from other agencies so that the problem could be handled optimally. “I can flash back on 2018 annual survey which showed that there is no improvement as far as the state is concern, it is on this note that the Federal government in partnership with FHMP picked Ebonyi State as one of the places with the indicator of malnutrition. “ when I was contacted, I realized that Izzi is the most populated council areas in the state which also has high number of malnourished children, after some consultations with some critical stakeholders, the place was choosen for the exercise” he explained. He commended the organization for providing the participants with the knowledge which they really needed and having seen that the issue of tackling malnutrition could not be handled by the government alone, he thereby appealed for an assistance from other Non-governmental organizations both home and abroad. He also said that the sensitization would be taken to the schools, churches and through other media houses including online in order to disseminate the information as expected. He further urged the participants specially those who are working in health facilities to take the exercise seriously by educating other women during the immunization days. “They are to be enlightened on dietary diversity rather than targeting meats, one can easily use what she has within her garden such as colour vegetable to prevent the ailment. “Excessive consumption of meat can lead to hypertension and other health problem so, they are advised to make use of some fruits as mango, apple, orange cucumber and lot more”. “At this stage, partnership is necessary because every home has one challenge or another concerning malnutrition and I am equally appealing that the state government should extend a similar programme across other council areas. “Because with the measure, we will reduce the case of malnutrition in our homes and in the state and in our effort to create more awareness, we will make an arrangement for television programme where members of the public will be sensitized by some experts” he narrated. He applauded the level of compliance of the participants and charged them to do the needful by spreading the information in their various localities. A partaker, Mrs Esther Ejoke expressed happiness over the exercise and promised to always adhere to the knowledge imparted into them. “With this programme, I have learnt how to prepare pap and other foods for my children, I can now easily know when my children are emaciating” she said.