NGO enlightens women on imperative of exclusive breastfeeding
Breastfeeding
By Ramatu Garba
Kano, An NGO, Alive and Thrive in partnership with Community Based Organizations is championing behavioral change campaign towards enlightening women on exclusive breastfeeding to check malnutrition among children in Kano.
Alive and Thrive engaged three CBOs to implement the project, Maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) program across some selected local communities in the state.
Speaking during a media visit organized by the NGO and the partnering CBOs on the MIYCN project in Kano on Wednesday.
The group commended the NGO for the project, adding that it plays a significant role in improving nutritional status of the communities.
Executive Director, Grassroots Health and Empowerment Foundation, (GHEF), Mr Audu Tela, said through the project they are accelerating the scale of MIYCN project among communities and also enlightening women on 1,000 days of baby care.
“What we are doing is all about interpersonal communication, community mobilization and mass communication to scale up nutrition in the state” he said
“The project is fully funded by Alive and Thrive, an NGO that is championing the campaign on nutrition” he added.
“We counsel pregnant women on exclusive breastfeeding, early initiation after birth and women that are at reproductive ages.
“We are currently working in five LGAs of Kano North which include; Gwarzo, Shanono, Bagwai, Kabo and Bichi and we selected 10 facilities in each of the selected LGAs that they are working with” Tela said
Also, Hajiya Ramatu Shehu-Garba, Executive Director, Support for Women and Teenage Children (SWATCH), said the organisation partnership with MYICN project sensitized women, children and health workers on the imperative of exclusive breastfeeding and lnutrition.
“We have taken advocacy visits to Takai, Wudil, Ajingi and Gaya local government in Kano south, to enligten community leaders and traditional leaders on exclusive breastfeeding and other nutritional values” she said
“We are facing challenges with some of the target participants, through the project on enlightening people to accept and practice the process and that they are gradually gaining acceptance” she added.
The group appealed to the government and community leaders to support Alive and Thrive for the sustainable achievement of the project.
Speaking IDev-Pro-African Institute,Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the MIYCN project, Abdulmajid Auwal, said they are currently raising awareness among the targeted communities to embrace locally available resources that would enhance nutritional values.
“In this hardship moment, meat is expensive, so part of our work is to raise awareness among people that there are other locally available foods that will enhance nutrition such as beans, moringa among others”Auwal said.
