By Isa SAIDU, Dutse
A non governmental organization known as Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has placed jigawa state as a state with a highest number if stunting children’s among states in the country.
The Chairman of CS-SUNN in the state, Comrade Shua’ibu Musa Kafingana stated this in a report released last Friday where he expressed concern on the increased number of stunting children.
He further lamented that the Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for malnourished children are being sold at the community level by the women who benefit from it.
He said the report was generated from the advocacy visit carried out by the group on Thursday to the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and Jigawa state Primary Healthcare Development Agency (PHCDA) .
He therefore explained that the visit was to solicit for the increase in the paid maternity leaves, from three months to six months for every breastfeeding mother in the state.
He said the team has also recommended to the policy makers in the state to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation framework for effective use of RUTF.
“More sensitization to our communities on the use of required diet, Nutrition components and culture of eating.
“There is need to have a framework for monitoring and supervision to our Community Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), OTP centres in the state.
“CSOs should engage in awareness creation and sensitization of the community on the danger of Family Neglect, Negative eating Culture, selling of Grants and RUTF”, Kafingana observed.
Responding, the Director PHCDA, Dr Shehu Sambo said Jigawa state is doing it’s best around Nutrition and is the best in coming up with strategies targeting Nutrition.
He assure that the National Policies on Paid six months Maternity leave will be critically taken into consideration to suit the Peculiarity of the state.
“Having larger families that are beyond their income or earnings, selling of grants, RUTF by beneficiaries are the causes of malnutrition.
“Community behavior, poverty and low level income of families, deeply rooted traditional beliefs and pattern of feeding Increase in birth and short birth cycles, food hygiene, selling of RUTF by care givers are another causes”, the Director lamented.
