Nutrition: Gombe mothers laud UNICEF over complementary feeding programme
By Hajara Usman
Some mothers in Gombe State have lauded complementary feeding programmes introduced by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in some communities in the state which they described as a game changer.
A visit to Kolorgu Primary Health Care Centre Kolorgu Kaltungo Local Government by our correspondent revealed that the programme had gained acceptance and impacted positively on the lives of their wards.
Some parents who spoke to our correspondent in separate interviews could not hide their joy following the significant success recorded.
Mrs Peninah Samson said the method of complementary feeding introduced to them is a game changer because of the result seen in a short timeframe.
She said she had two babies before the introduction of the programme, and they were not as healthy as the baby she is currently nursing.
She said “This baby I am carrying, I exclusively breastfed her, thereafter complementary feeding using the local available food in my community that contains all the nutrients needed.
She said she was cultivating orange flesh, sweet potatoes in her garden at home and other vegetables which she used to prepare a nutritious meal.
“At the facility here, we were taught how to cook different recipes with orange flesh sweet potatoes, pumpkin, beans among other things.
“We do not need to go out and look for what we will cook for our babies because we already have it at our disposal,” she said.
Malama Husaina Ibrahim also said at the initial stage of the programme she was skeptical “When they told me at the facility to use orange flesh sweet potato ,I was not convinced until I started seeing the result.
“My nine-month baby became healthier, robust you cannot even compare her with her mates because of the transformation,” she explained.
Ms. Philomena Irene Nutrition Specialist UNICEF Field Office Bauchi said while UNICEF promotes exclusive breastfeeding for six months, they also encourage mothers to breastfeed for two years alongside complementary feeding.
She said Kalargu is one of the place UNICEF is promoting orange-fleshed sweet potatoes’ cultivation” We have mothers here that have the orange-fleshed sweet potato vines at their backyard grown with other vegetables like okra spinach, cabbage, tomatoes so that children can take the variety of foods that are nutrients dense and palatable for their taste,”she explained.
Also speaking Mrs. Ladi Abdullahi LGA facilitator, said during the programme they sensitised the women about orange-flesh sweet potato which is rich in vitamin A because in most of their foods they don’t make it nutrients-densed
“She said by consuming this orange-flesh sweet potato which is rich in vitamin A, they can now have rich food in their homes, make powder out of it, apply in different recipes,” she said.
She said they gave the seedlings to them, and they planted it “Now we can get enough potatoes which they consume it in different ways,” she explained.
She said most of the locally available food in the comity is what they want to enrich by introducing vitamin A into it.
