CSOs Advocate Women, Girls Empowerment For Improved Nutrition

Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) in collaboration with FHI360 has called for the empowerment of women and girls as a means of improving their nutrition status and to achieve optimal nutrition in Nigeria by 2028.

The CSOs made the call at a 2-day Strategic Workshop to develop a Joint Advocacy Action Plan for improving women and girls nutrition in Nigeria, held in Abuja.

Former executive secretary, CS-SUNN, Beatrice Eluaka while speaking to journalists said “Overtime, the government has done alot to improve the nutrition status of Nigerians and this has resulted in the development of several document and National policy on food and nutrition.

“But we have just realised that emphasis is placed on maternal and child health, and women who are not bearing children, those who prefer not to have children or those have finished having children are kind of left out in those intervention.

“We hope that their needs are addressed, they have perculiar needs,” she added.

On her part, program manager, CS-SUNN, Anyanwu Goodness said “We agreed on an advocacy goal that out of all other areas that are posing as a challenge to women having access to optimal nutrition, we looked at an all encompassing empowerment as a major challenge

“This empowerment is not just all about getting money, but about nutrition education, access to funds and having a say, both in the family and in government. Stakeholders have agreed that when a women is empowered all round, she will be able to make good decision to access optimal nutrition and make it available for husband, children and immediate environment.”