UNICEF, UK float project to prevent infections, ensure survival of children in Nigeria

Adebayo Adenrele



The United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF and the UK Government said they will empower over 300,000 mothers and caregivers to enhance dietary practices, home-based malnutrition screening skills to prevent infections among children in Nigeria.

In a statement by the Communication Assistant, UNICEF, Nchekwube Nwosu-Igbo, the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate said the intervention is targeted at investing early in the lives of most vulnerable children in the world.

According to the statement made available to Journalists on Thursday, it explained that the project is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK Government, the Multisectoral Integrated Nutrition Action (MINA) and is being implemented by UNICEF and other partners in 24 Local Government Areas of Borno and Yobe states till March 2025.

Munduate said: “The first 1000 days of life of a child is an unmatched window of opportunity. UNICEF is grateful for the support of the FCDO to invest early in the lives of some of the most vulnerable children in the world.

“It is heartwarming that through the capacity building and empowerment approach of this project, thousands of children will benefit from this intervention in the long term.”

According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey and National Immunization Coverage Survey (MICS-NICS 2021), approximately 1 in 4 children aged 12-23 months are not vaccinated and the north-east region has one of the highest numbers of unvaccinated children in Nigeria.