NIGERIA / MALNUTRITION

An estimated 36 percent of children under five in Nigeria are chronically malnourished or stunted. Although mothers have been encouraged to breastfeed their babies considered one of the best nutrional interventions. But when it is time to start introducing complementary foods; traditional practices, poverty, and lack of knowledge hinder them from making good nutritional decisions for their children. (UNICEF)

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:30
• Production Date: 7 August 2013
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF
• Subject Topical: HEALTH; NUTRITION; HEALTH SERVICES; MEDICINE; MEDICAL SCIENCES
• Geographic Subject: NIGERIA
• MAMS Id: U130807d

Description

STORY: NIGERIA/MALNUTRITION
TRT: 2.30
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English / Tiv/ Nats

DATELINE: KUJE, NIGERIA, APRIL 2013

Shotlist

1. Various shots, Hellen at home with family
2. SOUNDBITE (Tiv) Hellen Terwase, mother:
“It’s difficult to breastfeed because both want to feed at the same time.”
3. Various shots, Hellen at support group
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Stanley Chitekwe, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist
“These complementary foods, they are also very critical so what we see in most countries particularly in Nigeria is that from six to 24 months you start to see deterioration in the nutritional status of children.”
5. Various shots, market
6. Various shots, support group
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Stanley Chitekwe, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist
“The first 1000 days are critical because the damage to the nutrition status is irreversible as well as the survival. It’s a critical period for survival like the first one year providing breastfeeding and proper complementary foods reduces infant mortality and newborn mortality.”
8. Various shots, clinic
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Catherin Anger, Nutrition Officer, Benue State Government:
“We start right from the clinic we teach them exclusive breastfeeding because the beginning matters.”
10. Various shots, support group
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Helen Tyokaw, Community Health Worker:
“They have improved especially with cases like where they access to do the exclusive breastfeeding as you can see there are many babies they are so happy. As the problem of this podgy, and diarrhea it does not affect them well so I believe there are very much improvements.”
12. Various shots, Hellen feeding her twins

Storyline

Hellen Terwase prepares the remaining few small yams she has left after the harvest.

As a subsistence farmer, she struggles to feed all five of her children especially meeting the unceasing appetites of her seven month old twins.

SOUNDBITE (Tiv) Hellen Terwase, mother:
“It’s difficult to breastfeed because both want to feed at the same time.”

The twins are small for their age and one suffers from an ongoing respiratory condition.

So Hellen’s been advised by a community health worker to attend this nutrition support group.

Today’s class is all about complementary feeding for babies older than six months.

The facilitator demonstrates how to add locally available foods like soya beans and ground nuts to a basic porridge (commonly prepared by mothers) to make it more nutritious.

This is a critical time for these children.

SOUNDBITE (English) Stanley Chitekwe, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF:
“These complementary foods, they are also very critical so what we see in most countries particularly in Nigeria is that from six to 24 months you start to see a deterioration in the nutritional status of children.”

Despite living in Benue State, considered the food basket of Nigeria, children here suffer from stunting and chronic malnutrition, a condition that can impair a child’s physical and cognitive development. An estimated 36 per cent of children under five in Nigeria are chronically malnourished or stunted.

Most of these women have been encouraged to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months of a child’s life–considered one of the best nutritional interventions. But when it comes to time to start introducing complementary foods; traditional practices, poverty, and lack of knowledge hinder them from making good nutritional decisions for their children.

That’s why the government, UNICEF and partners are focusing efforts to combat malnutrition from the time a woman falls pregnant up until the baby is around two years old.

SOUNDBITE (English) Stanley Chitekwe, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF:
“The first 1000 days are critical because the damage to the nutrition status is irreversible as well as the survival. It’s a critical period for survival like the first one year providing breastfeeding and proper complementary foods reduces infant mortality and newborn mortality.”

Pregnant women are encouraged to begin antenatal care at health centres early on and to register for their delivery there.

During their pregnancy, they receive regular checkups are given vitamins and iron supplements to keep them healthy.

SOUNDBITE (English) Catherin Anger, Nutrition Officer, Benue State Government:
“We start right from the clinic we teach them exclusive breastfeeding because the beginning matters.”

After a woman gives birth, support groups such as this as well as follow up visits by community health care workers are essential to ensuring that a mother maintains a balanced diet for a child and that children go to the local healthcare centre for their vaccinations and check-ups.

And the results of these efforts are starting to show.

SOUNDBITE (English) Helen Tyokaw, Community Health Worker:
“They have improved especially with cases like where they access to do the exclusive breastfeeding as you can see there are many babies they are so happy. As the problem of this podgy, and diarrhea it does not affect them well so I believe there are very much improvements.”

For Hellen the demonstration has been helpful. She now knows how to prepare simple nutritious meals for her babies. And it’s clear they also love the taste of it!