KADENAP disseminates 2 books on complimentary feeding

The Kaduna Emergency Nutrition Action Plan (KADENAP) on Thursday disseminated a recipe handbook in English and Hausa on complementary food to promote optimal feeding of children above six months of age.

The English version is entitled, “Production and Preparation of Complementary Food: A guide and Instructional Material for Healthcare Professionals, Caregivers, and the General Public in Kaduna state.

The Hausa version is titled, “Hanyoyin Sarafawa Da Hada Nau ‘o’ in Abinci Masu Kara Lafiya Don Baiwa Jarirai Daga Wata Shida Na Haihuwa.”

Chairperson of KADENAP, Hajiya Ummi El-Rufai, wife of Gov. Nasir El-Rufai, said at the presentation and dissemination event in Kaduna, that the books would go a long way in preventing child malnutrition.

Ummi, who was represented by the Mr Awwal Aziri, Project Manager, Impact Project, said that the handbook would serve as a guide especially to healthcare providers, caregivers, and mothers of malnourished children.

She added that the book was produced in English and Hausa with pictorial illustrations to reach wider audience with information on complementary food and how to prepare them for children from six month.

“As we know, Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) is a preventive approach which targets the nutrition of the child from conception to the child’s second birthday.

“This handbook is a complementary food guide and IYCF material that will help caregivers and mothers of malnourished children when feeding their children after completing the six month’s exclusive breastfeeding period.

“I sincerely hope that this handbook will not be kept in our shelves but will be used as effective tool for sensitization, PHC food demonstration corners and the message will be spread to all nooks and crannies of Kaduna state and beyond, until malnutrition becomes a thing of the past,” she said.

She commended the LAFIYA Project that has supported the validation, production, and dissemination of the nutrition handbook.

She called on all stakeholders and development Partners, Civil Society groups, traditional, religious institutions, and the media to join hands to give the book the widest coverage it deserves.

Mr Umar Bambale, Project Manager, KADENAP, said that the books develop with the help of nutritionists from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Kaduna Polytechnic, was conceived by Ummi El-Rufai, in 2017.

Bambale said that the objective of the event was to present and disseminate the recipe handbooks developed to assists parents and caregivers to provide appropriate complimentary feeding to children.

The State Team Lead, Lafiya Project, Mr Habibu Muazu explained that project was being funded by UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, to improve health outcome of people, particularly the poor and vulnerable.

Muazu added that the project also seeks to increase investment in health and efficiency of basic health services and pledged continued support to the state in addressing bottleneck to accessing healthcare services.

Dr Zainab Muhammad-Idris, Project Coordinator, Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN), commended KADENAP for the giant stride, adding that the book was “very critical” in addressing malnutrition.

Muhammad-Idris advised a wider dissemination of the book as crucial document for the nutrition landscape in the state, particularly on how to use locally available food.

Also, Ms Jessica Bartholomew, State Coordinator, Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), pledged to work with media to create the needed awareness for mothers and caregivers to put the book to use.

Dr Badung Yohanna, Assistant State Epidemiologist, Ministry of Health, described malnutrition as a serious problem to the health of children globally.

Yohanna said that the book would serve as a major tool to help in addressing the challenge, stressing that beyond production, the book should get to parent and caregivers.

The Chairperson of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Kaduna State Chapter, Hajiya Hauwa Usman, commended KADENAP for the efforts.

According to her, the recipe book will significantly help parents and caregivers prepare nutritious food using locally available food items.