By Mohammed Abubakar,
Damaturu
The Action Le Farme (ACF), Working to Improve Nutrition in Northern Nigeria (WINNN), has empowered some women in Fika Local Government Area of Yobe State.
The group gave out rice milling machines and groundnut oil extracting machines and foodstuffs to the women at the Women Empowerment Programme, which was free for lactating mothers in Fika town.
The programme was partly to improve nutrition in the community, and was facilitated by Idris Abdulsalam Official of the ACF and Project Manager for WINNN in Yobe State.
According to him, the participants would also be given skills training on how to operate the machines.
While distributing the items, Abdulsalam explained that when they came to Yobe State newly they fought hunger, stressing that they now battling to reduce malnutrition in three identified local government areas – Fika, Yunusari and Machina.
He advocated for exclusive breastfeeding among the lactating mothers in the area based on its importance to child growth and development.
“We are now distributing rice milling machines with groundnuts and rice milling machines with the unprocessed rice to the nursing mothers here to boost their economic status,” he said.
According to him, a total of 36 machines were given to 125 women in groups for the three local government areas of Fika, Yunusari and Machina.
Abdulsalam also appealed to the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the machines and ensure proper maintenance.
The Chairman of Fika Local Government Area, Alhaji Baba Abare, commended the development partners for their determination to improve nutrition among the upcoming generation. He pledged to continue to support all health-related programmes that would safeguard the lives of children.
In her remarks, Nutrition Officer, Aisha Ali, promised to continue sensitizing nursing mothers on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding. “95 percent of the breast milk is water while the remaining 5 percent constitutes vital food for the children”.
Presenting his goodwill message, Coordinator Primary Health Care Department, Fika Local Government Area, Alhaji Usman Gimba, commended the council chairman for the support to health.
One of the beneficiaries, Hassana M. Babac expressed gratefulness to the donor agencies for the intervention. “This would go a long way in alleviating poverty among nursing mothers.”