Naija AgroNet: CS-SUNN commends Lagos over nutrition budget lines...

Naija AgroNet: CS-SUNN commends Lagos over nutrition budget lines...: NaijaAgroNet : The Civil Society Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has commended the Lagos State government for creating nine...

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MeCAM established to bridge gap in child nutrition coverage

PRESS RELEASE:

Abuja, Nigeria, August 7, 2019: A media advocacy group with focus on curbing children malnutrition in Nigeria, under the auspices of the Media Against Child Malnutrition (MeCAM) has explained why it was established, saying that the goal is to bridge the gap in nutrition reportage.

The National Coordinator, MeCAM, Mr. Remmy Nweke in his intervention at a media roundtable on “Exclusive Breastfeeding: Changing the Nigerian story” in Abuja recently to mark the 2019 World BreastFeeding Week organized by the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN).

Naija AgroNet: EBF: MeCAM established to bridge gap in child nutr...

Naija AgroNet: EBF: MeCAM established to bridge gap in child nutr...: NaijaAgroNet : A media advocacy group with focus on curbing children malnutrition in Nigeria, under the auspices of the Media Against C...

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Naija AgroNet: Hajiya El’Rufai urges Nigerian mothers to key into...: NaijaAgroNet : The first lady of Kaduna State, Her Excellency, Hajiya Aisha Ummi Garba El’Rufai has urged Nigerian mothers to key-into E...

Naija AgroNet: Breastfeeding has return on investment says WHO, U...

Naija AgroNet: Breastfeeding has return on investment says WHO, U...: NaijaAgroNet : The World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nationsl Children Fund (UNICEF) have said that breastfeeding has return o...

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AU, AfDB to co-host launch of African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN) Accountability Scorecard

PRESS RELEASE:

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, February 7, 2019/ -- What: African leaders will gather at a side event of the 32nd African Union Summit, to launch the African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN) Continental NutritionAccountability Scorecard

Where: Skylight Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

When: 12:30-1400, Monday, 11 February 2019

The African Union, His Majesty King Letsie III of the Kingdom of Lesotho, the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org), the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other partners, will launch the African Leaders For Nutrition (ALN) Continental Nutrition Accountability Scorecard on Monday 11 February 2019.

The event, under the theme “A Call for Better Advocacy and Accountability for Nutrition Investments,” will be chaired by, His Majesty King Letsie III and African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina.

The Continental Nutrition Accountability Scorecard is the latest tool produced by ALN to raise awareness and reinforce commitments by African governments to end malnutrition and promote healthy children.

This data-based advocacy tool gives an overview of how African leaders are doing on their delivery of the main nutrition indicators. It is expected that the scorecard will increasingly be used to track Africa’s effort to halt malnutrition and its effects.

Communiqué from Abuja 3-Day Media Training, Field Visit by CS-SUNN

Communiqué issued at the end of a 3-day Media Training/Field visit at Consort Luxury Suites, Abuja from October 29th to November 1st, 2018.

Theme: The Journalists’ Role in Ensuring Transparency and Accountability in Allocation and Use of Health/Nutrition Funds in Nigeria. 

The Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) under the Partnership for Improving Nigeria Nutrition Systems (PINNS) project, organized the training to build capacity of media practitioners to develop stories and programmes focusing on transparency and accountability in allocation and use of health/nutrition funds in focal states and the country at large. The training was also organized to engender passion and commitment to reporting health and nutrition issues through site visit to Kwali Primary Health Care (PHC) Centre for firsthand experience of the challenges in the sector among other important issues.

It was observed that:

1. Malnutrition is a multi-sectorial issue of serious concern that requires a collective response.

2. Nigeria loses over 2000 children under five years of age on daily basis due to malnutrition.

3. Over 145 women of child bearing age die daily due to malnutrition.

4. The first 1000 days of life from the time of conception to a child’s second birth day is not prioritized.

5. Governments have not been making adequate budgetary allocation, approval, timely release and cash backing.

6. Where budgets are allocated and released, they focus more on the curative measures than preventive measures.

7. A malnourished child when immunized does not absorb/utilize the immunization.

8. There is low reportage of nutrition related issues in Nigeria.

9. 53% of deaths from child killer diseases is directly related to malnutrition.

10. Most mothers at the PHC are not practicing Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF).

11. There is lack of male/husband involvement and support towards EBF.

Recommendations:

1. Participants agreed that stakeholders (Government, Media, CSOs, care givers, Donor agencies etc) need to place emphasis on preventive than curative measures.

2. Government and policy makers should be held accountable for their commitments.

3. Journalists should be consistent in their reportage on nutrition.

4. Media practitioners should hold government accountable by getting enough information aimed at addressing nutrition issues.

5. Media should put nutrition at the front burner and influence policy decisions through their reportage for improved nutrition interventions.

6. Participants should advocate for policies to mainstream nutrition into agriculture.

7. Media should sensitize women on the need to exclusively breastfeed their children in the first six (6) months of life, without addition of water.

8. Media should also sensitize women to continue to breastfeed their children for two years in addition to adequate complementary feeding.

9. Media practitioners are encouraged to explore key components of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) so as to bring to the fore requisite solutions to the plights of women, children and other vulnerable groups.

10. Government should scale up and sustain existing interventions on nutrition.

11. Media should intensify campaign towards behavioral change, especially for men to support EBF.


Signed:

Mr. Salihu Mohammed Alkali (chairman, drafting committee)

Priscilla Dennis (Mrs) (secretary, drafting committee)