Similar training, was convened for Mother’s Club of Faji Kunda, bothfunded by UNICEF.
The training also exposed participants to excessive breastfeeding; personal hygiene and environmental sanitation; growth monitoring and promotion; iodine salt identification and others. It was also aimed at arming participants with the requisite knowledge in combating malnutrition in the society.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the opening, Alieu Kujabi, programme manager for NaNA, said the agency has realized a surge in malnutrition in under-five urban children.
That, he added, prompted NaNA to realise the need to establish Mother’s Clubs in the urban areas and train them so that they could help in detecting malnutrition in the society.
“If the Mother’s Clubs are trained, they will help us to detect malnutrition within the communities and then take appropriate measures. They will also help the hospitals in terms of referral and the hospital will need them in information dissemination,” he said.
The training, he added, would really help the agency and healthcare officers in averting serious malnutrition in children under five.
He thus urged all and sundry to work unanimously with the Mother’s Clubs to ensure efficient service delivery on nutritional assessment in the society.
Musa Dahaba, programme officer for NaNA called on Mother’s Clubs to work unanimously to ensure effective and efficient service delivery as well as sustainability of the clubs.
He said with availability of funding, NaNA would continue to train them on basic nutrition as well as give them practical skills so that they continuously offer the needed communal services.
“Our nutrition filed officer will supervise them and report to us and at the level of NaNA, we will have quarterly monitoring tour around the country just to upsurge members commitment on their communal services and ensure sustainability of clubs.” he said.
Sutee Barrow, a participant, commended NaNA for equipping them with the requisite knowledge on basic nutrition. The training, she said, has armed them with the needed skills and knowledge on basic nutrition and its related issues.
