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The government of the United Kingdom (UK) in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has launched a new initiative focusing on providing integrated food, nutrition sanitation and protection services in Nigeria’s north-east region.
The goal of the intervention is to improve eating habits, home-based malnutrition screening abilities, the availability of high-impact, life-saving nutrition interventions (such as the early detection and referral of acute malnutrition cases for treatment), and the supplementation of micronutrients to protect children from infections.
The Multisectoral Integrated Nutrition Action (MINA) project, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK Government, is being executed by UNICEF and other partners in 24 Local Government Areas in Borno and Yobe states until March 2025.
According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey and National Immunization Coverage Survey (MICS-NICS 2021), the north-east region of Nigeria has one of the highest rates of unvaccinated children, with almost 1 in 4 children aged 12-23 months not receiving vaccinations.
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Also, according to data from the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASH NORM 2021), only 2% and 4% of the populations of Borno and Yobe, respectively, have access to properly managed drinking water. In the region, up to 1.1 million individuals continue to use open defecation, which increases the risk of stunting and malnutrition in children.
To provide integrated essential services for children, the project makes use of a variety of community structures and basic services. These include mothers’ groups, nutrition mobilizers, WASH Committees, cash transfer support, nutrition counselling, and market-based sanitation and hygiene interventions.
Speaking on the project, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian 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.’’
