By Hassan Zaggi
The International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH), a Non Governmental Orgnisaiton (NGO), has taken steps to drastically reduce the high number of children affected by Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This effort is courtesy the support and funding from the European Union Agents for Citizen Driven Transformation (EU-ACT).
It would be recalled that a 2017 United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) report estimated that over 2.5 million Nigerian children under age of five suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), with nearly 420,000 children dying annually as a result of this extremely dangerous condition that makes children nine times more likely to die from common childhood diseases such as diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria.
Speaking during a Focus Group Discussion in Kwali Area Council with vulnerable women whose children suffer Severe Acute Malnutrition, the Director of program of ISMPH, Solomon Dogo, disclosed that his organization has been working in the area of public health and Severe Acute Malnutrition over the past 4 years.
He also introduced the EU-ACT program, explaining that its objective was to reduce incidences of SAM through the economic empowerment of identified vulnerable mothers in Bwari and Kwali Area Councils who would use easily accessible waste products and turn them to material items.
Mr Dogo who reiterated that the training was well package to benefit the women and also assist them start a new life of economic property said it has segments on basic nutrition for children and business strategies.
Speaking, some of the women identified poverty and ignorance as the major cause of Severe Acute Malnutrition even as they lamented their inability to feed their children with proper diet.
While sharing personal accounts of their struggles with consistent visits to the hospital to treat unending problems due to Severe Acute Malnutrition, most of the women who are farmers, petty traders and self-employed, interviewed by our Correspondent expressed confidence that the programme will give them the opportunity to learn new skills which do not require the purchase of expensive raw materials.
In his remarks, the Esu of Kwali, Alhaji Shaban Audu Nizazo, applauded ISMPH and its donors for choosing to empower vulnerable women in Kwali Area Council.
He assured the team of his support and encouraged the beneficiaries make the best use of the opportunity.
