The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has called on the Cross River State Government and Local Government Councils in the state to increase funding and improve service delivery in order to tackle the menace of malnutrition among pregnant women and children.

The global humanitarian agency made the call during a stakeholders’ engagement held in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, where issues affecting nutrition and child survival were extensively discussed.

According to UNICEF, there is an urgent need for the state and local governments to show stronger commitment towards addressing malnutrition by investing more resources and strengthening existing nutrition programmes at all levels.

The meeting brought together nutrition experts, health officials, representatives of the state government, local council authorities, development partners and community stakeholders to deliberate on ways to improve nutrition outcomes in the state.

During the engagement, nutrition experts identified poor feeding practices among caregivers, gaps in the delivery of essential nutrition services and weak implementation of nutrition programmes at the community level as major concerns militating against efforts to curb malnutrition.

They explained that many pregnant women and nursing mothers in rural communities lack adequate knowledge about proper infant and young child feeding practices, which has contributed to high rates of malnutrition among children under five years.

The experts noted that inappropriate breastfeeding practices, late initiation of complementary feeding and poor dietary diversity have continued to expose children to stunted growth, wasting and other forms of undernutrition.

They also pointed out that essential services such as routine growth monitoring, micronutrient supplementation, antenatal care and nutrition counselling are not readily accessible in some communities due to weak health systems and inadequate personnel.

Another major concern raised at the meeting was the weak implementation of nutrition programmes at the grassroots, where many interventions fail to reach the intended beneficiaries due to poor coordination and lack of funding.

According to the participants, some nutrition policies and programmes exist on paper but are not effectively translated into action at the community level, leaving many vulnerable women and children without the needed support.

They therefore called for a more community-driven approach that will involve traditional leaders, women groups, youth organisations and other local structures in the planning and execution of nutrition interventions.

Responding to the concerns, officials of the Cross River State Government said efforts are being made to strengthen nutrition services across the state and to address the identified gaps.

The officials explained that one of the steps taken by the government is the recruitment of nutrition officers who will be deployed to health facilities and local government areas to provide technical support and improve service delivery.

They also disclosed that the government is promoting and supporting breastfeeding practices, including exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, as a key strategy to reduce child malnutrition.

According to them, breastfeeding support groups have been established in some communities to educate mothers on the importance of proper breastfeeding and to provide them with the necessary guidance and encouragement.

The state government further assured that it is giving increased budgetary attention to nutrition, with plans to allocate more funds to nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programmes in subsequent budgets.

They noted that adequate funding is critical to the success of nutrition interventions and that the government is working to ensure that nutrition is prioritized in the state’s health and development agenda.

The officials also mentioned that the state is collaborating with development partners, including UNICEF, to build the capacity of health workers and to improve data collection for effective planning and monitoring of nutrition programmes.

However, UNICEF has assured that it will continue to support Cross River State in its efforts to combat malnutrition and improve the nutritional status of women and children.

The organisation disclosed that it is currently supporting a comprehensive nutrition programme in nine local government areas of the state aimed at improving caregivers’ knowledge and strengthening community-based interventions.

According to UNICEF, the programme focuses on educating caregivers on appropriate infant and young child feeding practices, maternal nutrition, hygiene and other healthy behaviours that can help prevent malnutrition.

It said the intervention also involves training community health workers, volunteers and caregivers to identify early signs of malnutrition and to refer affected children to health facilities for prompt treatment.

UNICEF emphasised that particular attention is being paid to the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, which spans from conception to the child’s second birthday, as a critical window of opportunity for preventing malnutrition.

The UN agency explained that proper nutrition during the first 1,000 days is crucial for the physical and cognitive development of the child and has long-term implications for health, education and productivity.

It noted that investments made during this period yield high returns and help to break the cycle of malnutrition and poverty in families and communities.

Stakeholders at the meeting therefore resolved to intensify advocacy for increased funding, stronger political will and better coordination among all actors involved in nutrition programming in Cross River State.

They also agreed that community participation, sustained awareness creation and improved service delivery are essential if the state is to make significant progress in reducing malnutrition among pregnant women and children and achieving its health and development goals.