By; ABDULLAHI IN USA, Kaduna
As part of its activities to expand Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) Project in Kaduna, the BBS Foundation supported by Kaduna State Government and the World Bank sponsored ANRiN project, carried out a mass awareness and sensitization on stunting and severe stunting in 3 local government areas of Kaduna State.
These activities which featured distribution of free Information Educative and Communication materials such as brochure, flyers, posters and displayed of flex (banners) were done in Giwa, Kachia and Chikun local government areas of the state.
The Executive Director of the BBS Foundation in her speech during one of the sensitization campaigns, stressed the need of early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding to women of childbearing age in Maraban Rido.
In her address, she emphasized that stunting is defined as low height-for-age.
” It is the result of chronic or recurrent undernutrition, usually associated with poverty, poor maternal health and nutrition, frequent illness and/or inappropriate feeding and care in early life. stunting prevents children from reaching their physical and cognitive potential,” she said.
Additionally she said, stunting predominantly occurs in the first 1,000 days of life (0–23 months) and continues to the age of five.
“There is a need to examine factors associated with stunting among children under-5 years in three local government areas of Kaduna State (namely: Chikun, Giwa and Kachia LGAs) and the state at large especially the poorest and most vulnerable children,” she pointed out.
She therefore, called on the civil society organizations to sustain the efforts of ANRiN project in these areas by acting against stunting and severe stunting among children in Kaduna State and the country at large.
