Malnutrition: UNICEF trains Gombe mothers on complementary infant feeding

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it has trained nursing mothers on complementary feeding projects in Gombe State, aimed at reducing malnutrition among infants and improving child survival. UNICEF Nutrition Specialist at Bauchi Field Office, Ms Philomena Irene disclosed this during a two-day media dialogue on age-appropriate complementary feeding for children aged 6-23 months, […]

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it has trained nursing mothers on complementary feeding projects in Gombe State, aimed at reducing malnutrition among infants and improving child survival.

UNICEF Nutrition Specialist at Bauchi Field Office, Ms Philomena Irene disclosed this during a two-day media dialogue on age-appropriate complementary feeding for children aged 6-23 months, held in Gombe for journalists drawn from Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau and Taraba states.

She said infant feeding is important to enhance survival and foster healthy growth and development of children.

Irene explained that the first two years of a child’s life are crucial in their lives, saying that providing proper nutrition during that period could reduce the rates of mortality among children.

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She noted that within two years, infants should be fed with both breast milk and complementary foods to help them thrive and grow healthier.

Addressing journalists during a field trip to Kaltungo Local Government Area, one of the LGAs where women are trained on how to make complementary foods for infants, the LGA Facilitator, Mrs Ladi Abdullahi, said the complementary feeding are made from home-grown foods, which are easy to access and cost-effective.