In a new report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) says about 3.4 million people need
nutrition assistance due to food crisis caused by the Boko Haram
insurgency in North-East Nigeria.
In the report for the month of September, UN-OCHA Humanitarian
Situation Report revealed that 2.7 million people were targeted for
immediate intervention, adding that only 936,200 people were reached
with nutrition support within the period under review. The report
indicates that three Stabilization Centres (SC) were set up at Damboa,
Dikwa and Ngala Local Government Areas to enhance management of acute
malnutrition. It says some 60 health personnel were also trained in
Borno and Yobe States to enhance operations at the stabilisation
centres.
The UN agency added that effective modalities were evolved to
streamline the Infant and Young Child Feeding scheme with the Blanket
Supplementary Feeding and Emergency Food Distribution programmes to
control the scourge. It adds that the UN in collaboration with
humanitarian partners had decentralized activities in 8 local government
areas of Borno State to combat malnutrition.
The report lists the affected areas as Damasak; Ngala, Dikwa, Bama,
Gwoza, Kukawa, Kala-Balge, Gubio, Nganzai and Guzamala. “The progress
toward key indicators is on track except for the management of Severe
Acute Malnutrition (SAM) with medical complications, which remain
hampered by the unavailability of services especially in the newly
accessible areas. Lack of access to most areas has been the impediment
in providing life-saving nutrition support to those in need. Nutrition
activities are limited to few areas where humanitarian actors have
access and where healthcare structures are in place,” it stated.
It also points out that about 6.5 million U.S. dollars was required
to implement five projects and facilitate smooth running of the
nutrition support services in the affected communities. It disclose
that a maternal and child health week exercise would be conducted to
contain malnutrition in the war ravaged region. OCHA said that some of
the activities line up for the campaign included supplementation of
micro-nutrients deficiency, screening and referral of under-5 children.
“The campaign is design to help children who were not assisted under
the routine exercises to achieve its target”, adding that mobile
outreach is critical in the campaign.
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