For many families across Anambra State, the fight against child malnutrition is becoming a story of cautious hope, as a locally driven nutrition initiative begins to change outcomes for vulnerable children once trapped in cycles of illness and delayed growth.
In Onitsha North, Mrs Ijeoma Okoye remembers the distress of watching her one-year-three-month-old daughter struggle with basic development.
The child could neither sit nor crawl, and frequent weakness set her apart from other children her age.
A visit to a health centre confirmed the fears: her daughter weighed only 2.5 kilogrammes and was severely underweight due to prolonged malnutrition.
Health workers counselled Okoye, linked the child’s condition to poor nutrition, and introduced Healthy Living Pap as part of treatment, assuring her that recovery was achievable with consistent feeding.
Within one month, the child’s appearance improved noticeably. After three months, her weight increased to 3.5 kilogrammes, and she began attempting to crawl, restoring confidence and optimism to her mother.
Similar experiences were shared across other communities. In Awka North, Mrs Chinenye Okpala said her one-year-old child, who frequently fell ill, weighed just two kilogrammes before nutritional support began.
After three months of regular feeding with the pap, the child’s weight rose beyond three kilogrammes, while illnesses and hospital visits reduced significantly.
For Mrs Success Ukor from Ekwusigo, improvement in her two-year-old son became evident within weeks.
She said his skin tone improved, strength returned, and appetite increased. His weight rose from 8.2 kilogrammes to 10.8 kilogrammes, giving him renewed energy and a healthier appearance.
Mrs Ngozika Chukwudum also shared her experience, explaining that her once weak and inactive child rarely played with peers before health workers recommended the nutritional supplement.
After one month, his weight increased from 7.3 kilogrammes to 7.8 kilogrammes, and he became more active and lively.
Community leaders have taken note of the changes. The traditional ruler of Aguleri, Igwe Michael Idigo, said mothers consistently testified to visible improvements in their children’s wellbeing.
He called on development partners, including UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, WHO, to support expanded production, while urging parents to seek help early rather than waiting until malnutrition becomes severe.
Healthy Living Pap was launched in August 2024 by the wife of the Anambra State Governor, Dr Nonye Soludo, as part of efforts to address persistent child malnutrition.
She explained that the initiative followed discussions with UNICEF officials who highlighted troubling levels of stunting, wasting and underweight children in several communities.
The programme, she said, was designed as a sustainable response to both acute and mild nutritional deficiencies.
Soludo described the pap as a natural complementary meal integrated into the state’s nutrition mitigation programme, adding that free distribution was necessary due to food insecurity and socio-economic pressures, especially in rural areas.
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She reaffirmed the state’s commitment to ensuring that preventable malnutrition no longer claims children’s lives.
Medical professionals have endorsed the programme. Consultant Paediatrician Dr Chioma Mbachu said the initiative gives children a fair opportunity for healthy growth and development.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike, described the pap as a practical intervention, noting that malnutrition weakens immunity, increases disease risk and can impair academic performance later in life.
Obidike said a structured distribution system operates across all 21 local government areas, with referral centres maintaining databases to track progress.
He added that more than 14,000 packs have been produced and distributed, with recovery rates exceeding 50 per cent.
State Nutrition Officer Dr Rose Amasiani said the pap is fortified and produced from locally sourced organic materials to correct nutritional deficiencies in both children and adults.
Nutritionist Jane Umeugo of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital said the supplement has transformed malnutrition management, reducing hospital stays from months to about five days in many cases.
She noted that severely malnourished children often begin showing recovery within three days of supplementation.
WHO State Coordinator Dr Mohammed Bonos praised the initiative, describing good nutrition as the foundation of a healthy population.
He pledged continued support, including assistance with regulatory approval, as Anambra intensifies efforts against child malnutrition amid economic and food security challenges.
Beyond Anambra, other states are also scaling up nutrition interventions. In Kwara State, the government has called for a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach to nutrition programmes.
The Executive Secretary of the Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Prof. Nusirat Elelu, stressed the importance of nutrition to child development and future productivity during the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria Sustainability Meeting.
In Kaduna State, progress has been recorded through Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition services.
The State Nutrition Officer, Ramatu Musa, said over 30,000 children were successfully treated for Severe Acute Malnutrition in 2025, though she warned that rising wasting and underweight rates require sustained investment and expanded coverage.
Stakeholders agree that political will, community involvement and consistent funding remain essential to defeating malnutrition.
As economic challenges persist, initiatives such as Healthy Living Pap are offering thousands of Nigerian children a renewed chance to survive, grow and thrive.
NAN
