Malnutrition: Group establishes nutrition corners, facility gardens in Bauchi PHCs

By Idris Ayinde
Catalyzing Strengthened Policy Action for Healthy Diets and Resilience (CASCADE), on Thursday, says it has established nutrition corners and facility gardens in 10 Local Government Areas of Bauchi state.

Anna Ishaiku, Health and Nutrition Technical Officer, CASCADE project, Bauchi, stated this while handing over the facilities to Inkil Primary Healthcare Centre, Bauchi and Gokaru Primary Healthcare Centre in Alkaleri Local Government Area.

She said that the facilities were being established in 10 Local Government Areas of Bauchi, Alkaleri, Misau, Zaki, Warji, Katagum, Jama’are, Ningi, Toro and Dass.

Ishaiku explained that the overall goal was to reduce maternal and child malnutrition across the CASCADE implementing states.

According to her, the activation of the nutrition corners provided a designated space for counseling, food demonstration and prevention of malnutrition.

She added that the gesture was also to ensure increased access to and consumption of healthy diets by pregnant and lactating patients in the selected health facilities.

The Nutrition Officer said that the project, which witnessed demonstrations of how to plant, cook and have access to some nutritious food at the PHCs, was to encourage the women to plant them at their homes for consumption.

“All the seeds we brought for planting demonstrations like the Gboma Sika, tomato and okro are improved and not genetically modified.

“The Gboma Sika increases blood production and you won’t need blood transfusion while consuming it because you have enough blood in your system because of the rich source of iron.

“The overall goal of these cooking demonstrations is to teach and educate the women on how to prepare nutritious meals because we have these foods in our environment but how to cook them well is the main challenge,” said Ishaiku.

She further explained that the health workers at the benefiting facilities would continue teaching women how to cook them when they go for antenatal counseling and could also pluck from the ones planted to give them to go and prepare at home.

Abubakar Ahmed, Nutrition Focal Person of Alkaleri LGA, lauded CASCADE for bringing the project into Alkaleri, adding that it would help the community, mothers and children as it relates to their health.

“If all the women use what they were taught effectively, it will help to improve their health, the growth of their children and the development of their brains,” he said.

Some of the pregnant and lactating mothers that spoke at the two health facilities also commended CASCADE, saying they were more enlightened on how to cook veggies in contrast to how they used to overcook it and by adding water.