The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called on all the Traditional Rulers in Nigeria to be more actively involved in propagating programmes that would enhance children's well-being and nutrition in the country.
UNICEF Deputy Country Representative, Programme, Dr. Rownak Khan, made the call while visiting the palace of Toro Local Government District Head in Bauchi state to monitor UNICEF activities in nutrition.
According to her, the roles the traditional institutions played in improving family health, issues affecting children and nutrition as well as safe motherhood could not be overemphasised in the society.
She added that their active involvement in those programmes would go a long way towards addressing child and maternal mortality rates across the country.
The UNICEF boss also commended Dandore Community in Toro LGA, adding that the community was a model of example in healthy living and expressed happiness with the setting of the Community describing it as a model to be emulated across the country.
“I am very pleased to visit the Dandore Community. The community has a very good leadership, from what I have seen, the community leaders do take care of their community members.”
“I have seen a lot of the women looking good and healthy, nursing mothers looking well fed. I have seen that they have been taking their children for Immunization, they also have toilets in their houses.
“They are also doing a lot of kitchen gardens and making nutritious foods for their children using the local sources. I think this is a very good example of how communities should be.
“They can be sufficient and can improve not only their nutritional status and their children U-5, but overall health conditions and I hope other communities in Nigeria can follow the example here in Dandore,” she said.
The Deputy Country Representative, Programme, reiterated the commitment of UNICEF to providing technical support to communities in Bauchi State in order to sustain its various interventions on improving the health of women and children.
She assured that UNICEF would continue its support at various levels just to ensure that women and children were not denied access to quality healthcare services and education.
Also, the District Head, Alh Umar Adamu, who received the team, commended UNICEF for championing the cause of women and children in the area.
He explained that the nutrition initiative has improved the lives of women and their children in Toro.
"Here in Toro LGA, our women have embraced the nutrition initiative, we have healthy children and mothers who are engaging in exclusive breastfeeding of the children.
"We engaged in serious advocacy and sensitisation meetings before we achieved the stage we are now. Without the cooperation of the women, we will not be here. The women have been supportive and cooperative of the initiative,” he said.
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