By Asma’u Ahmad
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has advised mothers to embrace six months exclusive breastfeeding of newborns for optimal child growth and development.
Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Kaduna, Dr Zakari Adam, gave the advice on Wednesday in Akwanga at the opening of a six-day capacity building for 32 participants on Community Infant and Young Child Feeding Counseling package.
Health Reporters gathered that the six-days training was sponsored by UNICEF in collaboration with Nasarawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency in which participants were selected from the agency.
Dr Adam said that the training was aimed at equipping nutritional health personnel with skills for effective healthcare service delivery.
He said that exclusive breast feeding was key to the development of the child, adding that it establishes early relationship between the mother, the family and the nation at large.
Adam explained that exclusive breastfeeding was good for the health of the new born babies, hence the need for mothers to feed their children exclusively for the first six months of life.
“Exclusive breastfeeding is very important for every newborn. Cow milk is intended for cow child and human milk is intended for their children, so human breast feeding is intended for children.
“It is critical to ensure that our children are fed exclusively on breast for six months in the interest of their heath,” he said.
Adam also disclosed that the organisation had provided the Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to malnourished children in the state free of charge.
He noted that the support was to improve on the health status of the children. He commended the health workers of the area for being up and doing to ensure that the health and standards of living of children is improved.
Newsmen report that Mr Taru Murindi and Ms Chinwe Ezeife, UNICEF WASH and Nutritiona specialists, among others resource persons, also mad presentations during the training.
