By Amos Tauna
Kaduna (Nigeria) – United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF as well as Katsina and Kano States have agreed to strategise to improve on successes already recorded over the years .
This is by developing a five year work plan for 2018 to 2022 for the promotion of Child Survival and Development.
The work plan when developed, would be the first in the current UNICEF country programme for 2018, which covers Katsina and Kano States partners from Health, Nutrition, Education, WASH and Media.
Some of the key aspects expected in the work plan include; sustaining the momentum of progressive results being achieved and report accordingly.
Promotional advance announcement of key events, report on programme convergence results. Field visit to monitor interventions to enhance UNICEF, Govt and Donors visibility.
Periodic Social Media content and traditional print, online and broadcast to highlight collaboration and outcomes, media participation at mid and end of year review meetings and report on key results. And a possible documentary on Child malnutrition intervention results.
Speaking at the closing of the states engagement planning meeting in Kaduna, northwest Nigeria, Secretary to the Kano State Government, Usman Alhaji, said both governments must be ready and determined to give required attention for proper implementation of intervention programmes in the next five years and beyond.
“The commitment we are talking about here of course is funding, government must take the issue of funding very seriously and give the programme the deserved attention.
“Data collection too is very important, and there is need for synergy between government agencies, we also need to start working our talk by involving new strategies that will give us different results,” Usman explained.
He said for the public to appreciate what government was doing, they need to be empowered both economically and educationally, saying, educating the people will also help them to harness what they have adequately.
Usman, thanked UNICEF for her support for Katsina and Kano States over the years and called on participants to drive the entire process that will lead to effective implementation of the work plan.
On her part, Chief of UNICEF Katsina Field Office, Padmavathi Yedla, noted that because of the huge successes recorded in the partnership with the two states on Child Survival over the years, UNICEF is interested to renew it’s commitment for another five years with them.
She said global record showed that Nigeria bears much burden in reaching SDGs, thus this country plan to offers many opportunities to bring winds of changes with technology, innovations and going to communities.
Padmavathi Yedla added that Katsina and Kano cannot afford to leave so many children behind, “We cannot achieve sustainable development goals if these numbers do not see downward or upward trends,” she added.
“Though, Globally more children are living to their 5th Birthday, more children are school, more children are immunised, more children have access to safe water, more SAM children have reduced. Unfortunately, in Kano and Katsina latest MICS indicates reversal of many achievements since 2011,” She said.
According to her, enrolment of children especially girls in early learning and primary school was expected to reduce out-of-school children and improve the quality of girls.
It is also expected that routine immunisation of all children by age one year with the required antigens including polio will be achieved.
Other areas targeted are; Feeding, hygiene and sanitation
practices to reduce high levels of stunting prevention and treat severe acute malnutrition of children under 5, and attitudes, practices and beliefs that perpetuate gender discrimination to reduce child marriage and violence.
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2017/11/17/health/child-malnutrition-rise-nigeria-despite-drop-infant-mortality-survey/
