Lagos State Government and FHI 360 Alive&Thrive, an international non-governmental organisation, have partnered to tackle the rising cases of child malnutrition and stunting.
Child malnutrition/stunting is the impaired growth caused by not eating enough, or eating foods that lack growth-promoting nutrients. This condition is a critical public health challenge worldwide, affecting millions of children, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria.
Stunted or wasted children are at risk of death and suffer from cognitive development issues. According to experts, stunted growth of a child after two years becomes irreversible. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that 15 million Nigerian children under five years of age are stunted, while 2.8 million are severely wasted, making Nigeria the country with the second-largest number of malnourished children globally.
To combat this issue, the Federal Ministry Ministry of Health launched a comprehensive 14-day training program titled ‘Lagos Training of Trainers on Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN)’. The program aims to equip senior officials of childcare-based NGOs and government agencies with the necessary skills and knowledge to address malnutrition effectively and spread this knowledge within their communities and organisations.
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The training, scheduled from July 7th to 17th, intends to create a network of individuals who can raise awareness and provide preventive measures for child malnutrition and stunting in Lagos. This effort aligns with the objectives of the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project, a World Bank-financed program aiming to promote collaboration to address nutrition-sensitive issues in Nigeria.
Speaking at the training held in Ikeja, Lagos, Olawumi Ajayi, the Lagos State Coordinator of Alive & Thrive, emphasised the importance of collaboration in combating malnutrition and promoting health and well-being for mothers and children.
She tasked the participants to contribute their quota in the drive to tackle malnutrition and stunting in the state. “We believe that through collaboration and continuous learning, we can make significant strides in combating malnutrition and promoting health and well-being for mothers and children in Nigeria and beyond.
“FHI 360 Alive&Thrive is honoured to support Lagos State Ministry of Health on this training and we believe it will go a long way in improving the nutrition situation in the State,” Ajayi stated.
One of the trainers, Dr Mrs. Folashade Oludara, Director at the Family Health and Nutrition Department, Lagos State Ministry of Health, highlighted the irreversible nature of stunted growth in children after the age of two, emphasising the impact on cognitive function and overall potential.
She said, “If a child is allowed to go into stunting, it is dangerous for all of us as adults because the children are supposed to be our leaders of tomorrow. Once a child is stunted and clocks two years old, the damage becomes irreversible. This also affects the brain and affects the way the person thinks. It makes the child grow into being aggressive, not being able to attain his maximum potential.
“Our children need to be fed with vital nutrients so they can grow well. The food we grow gets reduced in nutrients, because of our poor agricultural methods, also in the process of processing and preservation of our food crops. That is why we are going to get micronutrient powder in addition to the Ready-to-Eat Therapeutic food for malnourished children in Lagos.
“These micronutrient powders need to be given to children below the age of two. Because by the time a child is stunted and the child gets to age two. The stunting becomes irreversible and the child goes through brain damage. And once the brain of a child is damaged, there’s little or nothing anybody can do anymore.
“So all we’re doing here is basically towards prevention of malnutrition and stunting wasting.”
Another state official and trainer, Mrs. Olubunmi Olarenwaju, the state nutrition officer at the Lagos State, Ministry of Health, also highlighted that the training seeks to increase the utilisation of quality, affordable community-based nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women and children under five years of age, to prevent irreversible nutrition-related impacts on growth, and cognitive function in children.
“The motive is to train trainers that are responsible for imparting knowledge to mothers, caregivers and everyone in the community and organisations on maternal, infant and young child nutrition,” she said. “We are looking for a way to improve the nutritional status of all our children and mothers in Lagos, and Nigeria. So the purpose is to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children to reduce the malnutrition rates in Lagos.
Olarewanju added that the objective of the training is towards ensuring that knowledge of how to prevent malnutrition and stunting in children cascades into every home in Lagos. “Our goal in Lagos is to reduce malnutrition and stunting rates in children. Presently the stunting rate in Lagos stands at 39.4 per cent. It is very bad and we want to reduce it. The waste rate is above 23. This is unacceptable
“We have over 60 participants for the training. These are heads, directors, and senior principals of units that can influence change, and give back the training to others. So they are expected to go back to their various organisations, ministries, agencies, and communities to empower others with the knowledge that they all have learned here,” she said.
The training methods at the ‘Lagos Training of Trainers’ programme involve practical, incisive lecturing, plus role plays to teach the participants the various aspects of nutrition education, food preparation and safety, health and hygiene practices, and emergency response.
One of the participants, Oluwatosin Adu, a professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Lagos State University (LASU), applauded the Lagos State Govt and Alive and Thrive for convening the training, saying that he has acquired a lot of knowledge on how to counsel families on how to feed their children properly to avoid poor growth.
“I have learned how to appropriately counsel mothers, and caregivers to handle various challenges they could face while nursing a child. We’ve been taught on how to guide families on how they can ensure that children eat appropriate foods using local resources, for adequate nutrition,” he said.
“The cost of food has increased in Nigeria, so we now understand that parents don’t need plenty of money to provide needed nutrition for their children. Families in our way can have small gardens in their houses, where they can plant vegetables. They can buy fruits that are in season too. You don’t need to buy expensive ones like apples, berries and grapes, rather buy other affordable and seasonal fruits like mango, orange, and banana. These measures will help you reduce families to reduce cost and still feed the children well enough to protect them from stunting,” Professor Adu added.