Gombe, UNICEF Boost Child Nutrition

The United Nations Children’s FundUNICEF)-supported Progressing Action on Resilient System for Nutrition Through Innovation and Partnership (PARSNIP) project, backed by the Gombe State government and UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), has recorded gains in the fight against child malnutrition.

Over 106,000 children and 50,000 caregivers have benefitted from improved nutrition services across Kwami, Kaltungo and Dukku local government areas.

After a field visit to the benefitting communities by journalists in the LGAs, Philomena Irene, nutrition specialist at UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, described the project as a remarkable breakthrough in improving young children’s diets, especially in areas where poor feeding practices, food insecurity and limited dietary diversity have contributed to alarming rates of stunting.

According to Irene, the project delivered Small Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQLNS) to more than 106,248 children between 2023 and 2025, ensuring that children transitioning from exclusive breastfeeding receive foods rich in vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients required for brain and physical development.

“Surveys in Gombe State show that most children depend mainly on staple foods, which cannot support healthy growth. SQLNS helps fill these nutrient gaps by ensuring each child has access to at least one nutrient-rich meal a day,” she said.

She noted that the project was designed not only to deliver supplements but also to transform household feeding systems. Over 50,000 caregivers were trained on breastfeeding, complementary feeding, proper hygiene, food processing, storage, and how to prevent post-harvest losses.

Irene added that fathers were also trained as key decision-makers to support food cultivation and prioritise nutrition for young children, pregnant women and lactating mothers, stressing that central innovation under PARSNIP is the integration of agriculture through the introduction of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, a crop rich in Vitamin A. Caregivers across Kaltungo and Kwami were taught how to cultivate and process the potatoes into various nutrient-dense foods including pap, powder and fried products, an intervention that has quickly become popular among local families.

Irene commended the Gombe State Government for demonstrating leadership in sustaining nutrition funding. She highlighted the recent release of N500 million as counterpart funding into the Child Nutrition Fund, matched 1:1 by UNICEF, calling it a strong commitment that has enabled thousands of children to access lifesaving nutrition commodities.

“This project has strengthened state systems, built policies and improved collaboration across agriculture, health, WASH and social protection. The success in Gombe has directly informed the national ANRiN project, now scaled to 21 states,” she added.

The Gombe State Nutrition Officer, Muhammad Bawa, described the project as a success that has significantly improved child health outcomes in the three implementing LGAs.

Bawa noted that the partnership between Gombe State, UNICEF and FCDO had lowered mortality associated with malnutrition and empowered communities with sustainable skills, reaffirming government plans to expand the programme beyond Kwami, Kaltungo and Dukku.

“We are grateful for UNICEF’s partnership and the state government’s timely release of N500 million. This intervention has saved lives, and we are working to scale it up to more LGAs,” he said.

In Kaltungo, women benefiting from the orange-fleshed sweet potato intervention spoke about the transformational impact on their households. Amina Isa, a participant in the women’s farming group, said the programme has supported child nutrition and also boosted women’s economic independence.

“We started last year as a group of 20 women. I earned N50,000 last year and N40,000 this year. From my savings, I bought goats, and recently sold a ram for N120,000. We process the potatoes into pap, powder and fried products. Our only challenge is that there are not enough vines for mass production,” she said.

Another mother, Aishatu Mohammed Aliyu, said the potatoes had directly improved her son’s health. “My son had an eye problem, but he got better after using the potatoes. He eats it fresh or mixed in pap. Other women now come here to collect vines for planting. It has truly empowered us,” she said.