The Federal Government is building the capacity of frontline workers and stakeholders to provide optimal Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition, MIYCN, communication and services to Nigerians.
The eight days capacity building, taking place at the National Training of Trainers on MIYCN in Keffi, Nasarawa State, is to help the trainers to understand and learn how to implement and promote different feeding practices among mothers and families across different communities.
The Director and Head of Nutrition Division, Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, said during the training on Wednesday that the initiative was to educate participants about good nutrition-related behavior and improve nutrition outcomes for children.
She said participants should be able to describe the nutrition trends and list common nutritional problems in the country at the end of the training.
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Bako-Aiyegbusi explained that MIYCN was to maximize impacts on child growth and micronutrient status by focusing on maternal nutrition, delivery practices, and improved infant and young child feeding.
“MIYCN has outlined the interventions and approaches that will improve nutrition of pregnant and lactating women; early initiation of breastfeeding with exclusive breastfeeding for six months.
“It has also outlined the promotion, protection and support for continued breastfeeding with appropriate food supplementation,” she said.
The director equally noted that the nutritional challenges in the country include “poor dietary quality, high prevalence of malnutrition in all its forms, limited data to assess nutrition situation and inadequate progress in meeting the 2030 nutrition targets.”
She listed the focus areas of the capacity training to include breastfeeding, complementary feeding, feeding sick infants and young children and infant feeding in the context of HIV.
“Other areas are women and adolescent nutrition, as well as counselling, coaching and mentoring skills,” she added.
