By Muhammad Jamilu Abubakar <\/p>\n
The PARSNIP nutrition programme is improving the health of young children in Gombe State through supplementary feeding and better nutrition practices. The initiative, supported by UNICEF, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and the Gombe State Government, focuses on children aged 6 to 23 months who are most at risk of malnutrition.<\/p>\n
The programme, known as Progressing Action on Resilient Systems for Nutrition Through Innovation and Partnership (PARSNIP), is currently running in Kwami, Kaltungo and Dukku Local Government Areas.<\/p>\n
UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Philomena Irene, said the project is helping to reduce child wasting by promoting proper feeding practices and improving treatment for malnutrition both in communities and health facilities. She added that the programme also encourages government involvement and collaboration across health, WASH and agriculture sectors to ensure nutrition services continue even during difficult times.<\/p>\n
Since 2023, the programme has provided Small Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQLNS) to 106,248 children to improve their diet and nutrition. It has also trained 20,347 caregivers on how to check for malnutrition using MUAC tapes and how to apply proper feeding methods for infants and young children.<\/p>\n
Gombe State Nutrition Officer, Muhammad Bawa, said the state is one of the pilot locations for the programme and that the intervention is helping children who are most vulnerable to malnutrition. He explained that SQLNS and Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potatoes (OFSP) are used to support children where therapeutic food is not available.<\/p>\n
He said women in the communities are given sweet potato vines to plant, process and add to meals for more vitamin A. The training also helps women earn income by selling the vines, leaves and tubers. Bawa called for the programme to be extended to more LGAs in the state.<\/p>\n
Some beneficiaries at Kalargo Community in Kaltungo Local Government Area including Amina Isa and Aisha Muhammad Aliyu, said the programme has improved children\u2019s health and supported them financially. They appealed to the government to expand the programme so more families can benefit.<\/p>\n
Stakeholders believe that with continued funding and support, the PARSNIP project will further reduce malnutrition, improve child survival and strengthen nutrition systems across Gombe State.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Muhammad Jamilu Abubakar The PARSNIP nutrition programme is improving the health of young children in Gombe State through supplementary feeding and better nutrition practices. The initiative, supported by UNICEF, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and the Gombe State Government, focuses on children aged 6 to 23 months who are most at risk […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[14,17,4,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gombe","category-headline","category-health","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n