The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bayelsa State government and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have launched a N280-million partnership to tackle child malnutrition and safeguard the first 1,000 days of children’s lives across the state.
The partnership marks a significant milestone in the state fight against malnutrition, aiming to build a healthier and more prosperous future for its infants.
Speaking at the Grant Inception Meeting held in Yenagoa, the Chief of the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, declared that the one-year project is designed to give every child in the state a “fighting chance not just to survive, but to grow, to learn, and to reach their full potential.”
Mrs. Lafoucriere, making her first official visit to the state, welcomed the collaboration as a critical intervention against a crisis that has left more than one in four children in Nigeria stunted, citing the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS 2024).
She noted that the situation is compounded by the fact that nearly half of pregnant women are anaemic.
Mrs. Lafoucriere said: “Stunting means a child’s body, and often their brain, did not get enough good food early in life to grow as it should. These are children who will struggle more in school, and who may struggle later to earn a living, through no fault of their own.”
The project, which focuses on the critical developmental window from conception to a child’s second birthday, is backed by significant financial commitments from all three partners. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provided the initial funding, while the Bayelsa State government and UNICEF have each contributed an additional N140 million.
“This is government and donors, side by side, putting real money behind children who cannot yet speak for themselves,” Mrs. Lafoucriere stated, praising the state government for taking the lead and donors for their follow-through.
The UNICEF chief outlined a strategic plan that ensures nutrition supplies reach children before problems take root.
The initiative includes regular weighing and measurement of children, practical feeding demonstrations for mothers by healthcare workers, and rigorous tracking to ensure no child “slips through unnoticed.”
“Somewhere in the state right now, a child is living through their first one thousand days. They do not know this inception meeting is happening. But by the end of this year, I hope they will be healthier and better fed because of what we do here today,” Mrs. Lafoucriere noted.
Speaking on behalf of the Commissioner for Health, the Executive Secretary of the Bayelsa State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Dr. Williams Appah, described the programme as a timely intervention capable of transforming the lives of children across the state.
He emphasised the need for a coordinated strategy to reach as many children as possible, irrespective of boundaries.
“We need to see what we can do to reach as many children as possible, irrespective of boundaries. This will allow us to implement these efforts across the states,” Dr. Appah said.
The Executive Secretary expressed deep concern over the severity of malnutrition in the state, particularly the progression from moderate to severe cases.
He said: “It is unfortunate, especially when I see severely malnourished children. If we don’t get those children out of that level of malnourishment, we increase our losses. The life outcomes of that child are already permanently impacted.”
He called for urgent education to address cultural practices that discourage proper nutrition, noting: “We must also address cultural practices that discourage giving children eggs early on. It’s a belief that if you give a child an egg while they are small, they will become negative when they grow up. We need to invest in as much education on this subject as possible.
“In healthcare, everybody is a critical stakeholder. No one is more of a stakeholder than another. I want us to take this very seriously so we can commit to pulling every malnourished child out of malnutrition.”
Dr. Appah expressed gratitude to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and UNICEF for funding the initiative and appealed for its expansion to the remaining four local government areas to ensure that children across the state benefit equally.
Earlier, the Director of Nutrition, Mrs. Rose Okparan, highlighted the importance of collaboration among all partners, noting that sustained coordination would determine the success of the programme.
