Malnutrition: UNICEF Donates Therapeutic Food To Kebbi Govt

To strengthen the treatment of children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition ( SAM), the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has donated 10, 500 cartoons of ready- made therapeutic food (RMTF) to Kebbi State government.

During the handing over of the items in Birnin Kebbi, UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Sokoto, who was represented by the nutrition officer,  Alhaji Isah Ibrahim, described the gesture as a timely response to the growing challenges of child malnutrition in the state.

According to him,  the intervention is aimed at saving thousands of children under the age of five who are battling severe acute malnutrition in the affected communities in Kebbi.

Ibrahim added that findings from the 2025 SMART survey and IPC AMIN analysis revealed that Kebbi State recorded a stunning rate of 40.9 percent and a wasting rate of 11.3 percent.

He further explained that projections indicated approximately 130,000 children under the age of five may suffer from malnutrition in 2026 in Kebbi State if adequate measures are not taken.

Receiving the items governor Nasir Idris commended the efforts of the UNICEF for the prompt intervention saying the gesture aligns perfectly with his administration’s committment to improving healthcare delivery, nutrition, education, water and sanitation services as well as food security across the state.

He said recently government has distributed 20,000 packs of Kunun-Lafiya worth N140 million to 10,000 children across the 21 local government areas of the state in order to improve the well-being of children and to address Malnutrition.