Skip to main content

Malnutrition in Nigeria

Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. - Nelson Mandela




[caption id="attachment_13888" align="aligncenter" width="541"] Source: WHO[/caption]

Malnutrition in Nigeria has become a menace in our society today. Some even say that it has become as bad as insurgency. Millions of Nigerian children today suffer from malnutrition including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Non - IDPs alike.



According to the World Health Organization... "at least 53% of deaths in women and children world wide results from malnutrition and lack of essential micro nutrients".

In Nigeria, records show that malnutrition kills an average of 100 children and at least six women of child bearing age every hour…” which estimates about 2.3 million children getting killed each year. Another report states that one-third i.e. thirty- five percent of Nigerian children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition.
Malnutrition has many causative factors such as poverty which stems from economic failure, living below $1 per day, among others, insurgencies-in the North - eastern part of Nigeria and recently in Benue and Rivers states.



According to UNICEF, “…millions of children are paying an indirect price for these conflicts, suffering from malnutrition, disease and trauma and basic services- including access to food, water,sanitation and health…” and also ignorance.

Most adults often take with levity the severeness of malnutrition in the lives of little and growing kids. They seem to forget that although adults may suffer from starvation and inadequate nutrients, it is only kids that suffer from malnutrition. The government of Nigeria in collaboration with some Non Governmental Organizations and International Organizations such as the United Nations Childrens Education Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Food and Populations Agency (UNFPA), World Food Program (WFP), as well as Empower 54 has partnered with some prominent members of the society like the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, as well as others to tackle malnutrition in Nigeria.



Most of the seven billion people in this world suffer from malnutrition. Half do not have enough to eat and the rest of us eat too much. - Earle Gray

The Dangote Foundation for instance, has begun to fulfill its commitment to donate 36 billion Naira to implement its malnutrition intervention plan in Nigeria starting from January 2018. The states to benefit are Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe, Kaduna,Kano, Kastina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, and Zamfara. The Harvest Plus Nigeria initiative has a yearly programme where it showcases agricultural solutions emphasizing bio fortified and nutrious foods which are distributed to mothers for their children. These are some of the efforts made by these organizations amongst others.

Having said all these, it should be noted that these efforts are not meant to come from the government , influential people in the society and organizations alone. According to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye, he said “…the menace of malnutrition is creeping deeper into the fabric of our society and we must be tenacious in our fight against this colossal beast by creating a better mechanism, adopting policies and strategies that are capable of combating its rapid expansion.”


We should be able to contribute our little quota to fight this menace to a stand still by making donations-materials or cash, raising awareness and helping the little boy or girl we see malnourished on the street any little way we can because we must remember that “Every Child is your Child”.


[su_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-sfIDDqxVE&feature=youtu.be&list=PL2873AA7E3F6F5B9F" width="480" height="300"]

Malnutrition in Nigeria was written by Ogunmade Joanah 
Facebook - Ife joan  - Docotalhealth oke
Twitter- @Ife Joan - @DocotalFoundatn
Instagram- @efairjoeanne  - @DocotalFoundation



More articles across the web


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Coconut oil is not healthy

The American Heart Association recently released a report advising against the use of coconut oil. The   Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease advisory reviewed existing data on saturated fat, showing coconut oil increased LDL ("bad") cholesterol in seven out of seven controlled trials. Researchers didn't see a difference between coconut oil and other oils high in saturated fat, like butter, beef fat and palm oil. In fact, 82% of the fat in coconut oil is saturated, according to[...] Click here to continue reading More articles across the web There's One Factor that determines whether Coconut Oil will Help or Harm Us. Bulletproof Coffee Announces Bottled Bullshit Launch Stroke risk: Drinking THIS every day could PREVENT heart disease Low-fat diet linked to higher death rates, major Lancet study finds�� Fat isn't nearly as bad for you as we thought - and another ingredient is likely worse Tea vs coffee - which cuppa should you be drinking?
Post a Comment
Read more

Sunday Morning Inspiration – GRATITUDE: Part II

“ We showed him (ie. Man) the way; whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will)”  KORAN ( AL-INSAN 76:3). The law of gratitude (Thanksgiving) has been practiced by many thousands of years ago. From the Australian Aborigenes to the African Maasai and Zulu, from the American Navajo, Shawnee and Cherokee, to the Tahitians, Eskimo, and Maori, the practice of gratitude is at the root of most indigenous traditions.  Read also Part I Even the early American settlers aftter landing in the New World chose a particular date and time of the year to come together( Thanksgiving) to be grateful, which is still practiced till date. And we know that the major religions of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddism, Sikhism and Hinduism all have gratitude at their core. Mohammed said that gratitude for the abundance you’ve received is the best insurance that the abundance will continue. Buddha said that you have no cause for anything but gratitude and joy. Lao Tzu said that if you rejo...
4 comments
Read more

Children and Vaccination

“So it's an absolute lie that has killed thousands of kids. Because the mothers who heard that lie, many of them didn't have their kids take either pertussis or measles vaccine, and their children are dead today. And so the people who go and engage in those anti-vaccine efforts -- you know, they, they kill children. It's a very sad thing, because these vaccines are important.” ― Bill Gates Since the advancement of medicine, medical practitioners found out there are ways you could prevent your child from suffering some terminal diseases as they grow up. They called this “Immunization or Vaccination”. Today, medical centers all over the world advise you to immunise your children so as to protect them from some certain diseases. You immunize your children through the use of vaccines, and this vaccination comes in different forms, and different age grades. Whаt аrе vaccines? Whеn germs enter thе body, thе immune system recognizes thеm аѕ foreign substances (antigens). Thе immun...
Post a Comment
Read more