UNICEF, Imo State, and Gates Foundation Launch Initiative to Strengthen Maternal and Child Nutrition

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the Imo State Government and supported by the Gates Foundation, has launched a strategic initiative to enhance maternal and child nutrition in Imo State, Nigeria. This development was announced during a meeting in Owerri involving the State Ministry of Health, the Imo Primary Healthcare Development Agency, and UNICEF representatives. The primary objectives include reviewing and validating the Nutrition Social Behaviour Change (SBC) strategy and integrating Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) for pregnant women. Mrs. Juliet Chiluwe, UNICEF’s Chief of Enugu Field Office, highlighted MMS as a cost-effective intervention to reduce anemia, low birth weight, and stillbirths. She urged increased domestic investment in the Child Nutrition Fund to ensure sustainability. Dr. Chioma Egu, the Commissioner for Health, emphasized that the SBC strategy aims to empower families to make healthier nutrition choices throughout life stages, from pregnancy to adulthood. The state government, represented by Commissioner Anslem Anyanwu, reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining the program through policy support and resource mobilization. The initiative seeks to improve health outcomes for women and children across both rural and urban communities in Imo State.