With financing from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lagos State Government, in partnership with Alive & Thrive (FHI 360), recruited three community-based organizations (CBOs) as partners in increasing the scale of the Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) Project.
Through a sustained national program of ideal maternal, baby, and young child nutrition, the initiative, which is now being implemented in seven states of Nigeria, aims to improve child health and development outcomes and save lives in the nation.
At the onboarding of CBOs, the State Primary Health Care Board’s Dr. Oluwo, Director of Medical Services and Disease Control, encouraged them to be creative and innovative in their approach to strengthening MIYCN outcomes by utilizing the local government areas’ and communities’ available platforms to reach mothers and caregivers.
Adekitan went on to say that their goal is to ensure that all Lagos State residents have access to primary care that is of high quality, effective, and efficient standards.
Mrs. Braheem Olubunmi, the state nutrition officer for the Lagos State Ministry of Health, noted that the CBOs’ dedication is essential to raising nutrition standards for mothers, newborns, and early children in the state.
Dr. Veronica Iwayemi, program officer for Reproductive Health/SEMCHIC, recommended expectant moms under 20 weeks to register in order to monitor their child’s development, spot any problems, and receive antenatal care at least four times.
She added that their goal is to implement Lagos State’s primary care strategy through community involvement, collaboration, use of appropriate technology, development of health-related people resources, and integrated service delivery.
She tasked CBOs with assisting in data collection so that decisions could be made in a way that would effectively and efficiently address problems.
“Health is the mental, physical and social well-being of people, we hope to make that a reality for women and young children”~ she said.
The Neochild Initiative, Champagne Foundation, and Good Women Association were present, and the conference was also used to finalize the work plans of the CBOs to fully match with the priorities of the Lagos State MIYCN.
