IYCF Improved infant and young child feeding

IYCF Improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and Lessons Learn from the programme

In Nasarawa state the Malnutrition situation among women and children stand at the following: Exclusive breastfeeding rate is 23.1% (MICS 2017), incidence of low birth weight (<2.5 kg) is 14.1% (MICS 2017), children under 5 who are stunted is 37.2%, children under 5 who are wasted is 8.8% , children who are underweight is 20.7%, children aged 0-59 month with diarrhea treated with Zn/Lo ORS is 29.1%, Children aged 12-59 months who received deworming tablet in the last 6 months is 52%, Pregnant women who received Iron and Folic Acid supplement is 73.1%, Women of age 15-49 who are severely thin is 1.7%, Malnutrition among women of reproductive age is 1.4%. However, the indices show that Nasarawa state still has a long way to go in ensuring the handling of malnutrition cases in the state.

Child Education and Community Development Initiative (IYCF) intervention implemented in three Local Government Area (LGAs) of the state (Keffi, Karu and Nasarawa) with the support of the working to improve Nutrition in Nasarawa State.

KEY MESSAGES

CECDI engaging community Leaders in IYCF counseling which is Critical for both communities acceptance of Community Case workers and uptake of the IYCF recommendation.
Effective implementation of community based IYCF counseling with well-trained Community Case Workers.
Community member’s not giving water to infants is a key challenge for exclusive breastfeeding. Further work required to develop effective messages that address this concern.

CECDI promoted the integration of IYCF counseling into routine government and private health care facilities services by supporting in planning, training, supportive supervision and monitoring and evaluation.

CECDI supported IYCF counseling is provided to pregnant women and caregivers with a child under the age of two. It promotes the early initiation of breastfeeding within 30 minutes f birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and good breastfeeding techniques. For children over six months of age, mothers are educated on introduction of solid foods (complementary feeding), and are provided with food demonstration using locally available foods. The counseling also promotes an adequate diet during pregnancy, good hygiene practices and the use of antenatal care services.

Despite some positive improvement in key knowledge and practices, overall levels of appropriate feeding behavior remained low in most community because of poverty.

From 2016 CECDI has empowered 2,129 women and increased their knowledge on best practices on IYCF having women volunteers who accepted to coach other young women in the community.

Community- Infants and young child feeding (C-IYCF)

The organization conducted C-IYCF forum with beneficiaries at the community level and reached 2,129 communities in the three Local government of program implementation Keffi, Karu and Nasarawa, the program aimed at creating awareness on better ways of taking care of children which include feeding of infant and young children to ensure effective growth and healthy children.

Breastfeeding mothers in the program were counseled on good quality education and were given information on how breastfeeding works, challenges that might arise and who they can get support from, and they were encouraged to observe proper hand washing and good hygiene during breastfeeding.

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Pictures showing IYCF at the community level

Food demonstration was conducted and adequate sensitization on good nutritional beneficiaries in the three LGAs of our program implementation. Out of 3,326 beneficiaries we have on the program 2161 beneficiaries were trained on effective ways of preparing good meal and sensitized on adequate rich food items and their value to the body.

The organization food demonstration program was able to build the capacity of caregivers to serve as coaches and role models among their peers. The program also provided adequate information and techniques to the caregivers to improve in their day-to-day cooking using locally available food for optimal nutrition. During the food demonstration the meals prepared include: beans and yam porridge with vegetables, corn flour and Boabab (Kuka) leafs and Zobo drink was prepared. Audu Blessing (NAS/KRU/CEC/04627) said she never knew that Kuka has nutritional benefits as she was told is just a soup that Hausa people like eating but now she understands how good it’s in the body she will start making it in her home because of the nutritional and economic benefits. Joshua Victoria NAS/NAS/CEC/05038 said she enjoyed the soup after eating and also encouraged the caregivers to making the soup at home for their family, at it has good nutritional benefits. Rukkaya Ramalan (NAS/KRU/CEC/04439) confessed that the soup tasted very delicious and was impressed with the step-by-step process of cooking such soup and cannot wait to try it at home. Grace Bulus (NAS/KEF/CEC/02856) asked why was sugar not added in the zobo drink the facilitator responded that it has side effect like high blood pressure, diabetes and fatty liver disease which are all linked to increased heart attack and stroke, so natural fruits were recommended as they are low in fat and calories and a source of many essential nutrients such as vitamin A and C.

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Pictures showing some of the food demonstration at the community level

Women empowerment

CECDI has been implementing the “Vulnerable Women Economic Empowerment Programme” funded by SMILE in the year 2016 to 2018 and IHV-Nigeria Action Plus up and ACHIEVE project from 2013 till date on the APIRW project and the UNDP Vulnerable women economic empowerment support program in 2022. The overall objective of the project is to empower women in communities of Doma, Nasarawa Eggon, Lafia, Keffi, Nasarawa and Karu Local government Area of Nasarawa State to ensure that the women are empowered economically and socially through providing set of activities in awareness raising, training, coaching and mentorship related to the entrepreneurship and enterprise development, in addition to provide an opportunity for entrepreneurial women who lack access to funding with interest-free loans to start up or growth their small businesses to overcoming poverty and improve livelihoods.

The project successfully implemented all the planned activities whereby, by the end of the SMILE project more vulnerable women who are infected with HIV were empowered so also for the Action Plus up (892) and ACHIEVE project (942) and UNDP/JAPAN government support program supported (1036) women benefited from various components of the project. 217 women received package of training in life skills, financial literacy and entrepreneurship followed by coaching, 258 women attended awareness sessions on the importance of women economic and social empowerment; and 287 women have been financed with interest free loans and developed their small businesses and created job opportunities for about 274 persons, most of them are women.

Pictures showing CECDI VSLA saving groups meeting

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Pictures of community engagement meeting with stakeholders on our target beneficiaries empowerment program in Doma and Keffi LGAs of Nasarawa state

CECDI in its work ensures that women empowerment initiatives is the most needed approach to overcome poverty, particularly the rural women who lack awareness and opportunities. CECDI aims to empower these women particularly now when rape and sexual harassment cases are being highlighted all over the country. Not only this but domestic violence is also going out of hand and women without awareness are going through a lot and tolerating such behaviors.

CECDI also ensures that the voice of these women who lack awareness and motivation to take a stand for themselves be heard and most importantly by uplift these rural women so that they can have awareness and opportunities to speak for themselves. We need to empower the rural women to stand for themselves and take initiatives to tackle domestic violence. Hopefully we will have enough funds to continue this initiative.

Rural women communities of Nasarawa have been neglected in terms of empowerment CECDI through its partners came out with initiative to ensure that the rural women should be involved in the women empowerment initiatives program.

IHVN PICTURES

Keffi LGA IHVN-ACHIEVE Vulnerable women empowerment program Addressed by the Deputy Chairman Keffi LGA