The Kaduna State Project Implementation Unit, World Bank-supported Accelerating Nutrition Result in Nigeria (ANRiN) project, has secured 2.7 million dollars (about N1.1 billion) for the treatment of malnourished children.
ANRiN Project Coordinator in the state, Dr Zainab Muhammad-Idris, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Wednesday.
Muhammad-Idris said that out of the amount, the project implementation unit had gotten approval from the World Bank to spend 1.5 million dollars (about N621.3 million) in 2022.
She said that the money would be used to procure 13,758 cartons of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for the treatment of children with severe acute malnutrition.
RUTF is an energy-dense, mineral- and vitamin-enriched food specifically designed to treat Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
She added that part of the money would also be used to procure about 15,416 doses of supportive drugs used for the treatment of opportunistic infections and cover logistics support.
The project coordinator also said that the money would equally be used to scale up the Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) programme to cover the entire state.
According to her, the 13,758 cartons of the RUTF are expected to reach more than 30,000 malnourished children with treatment in 2022.
She said that the remaining US$1.2 million would be used for similar efforts in 2023.
“The World Bank approved funds for treatment of severely acute malnourished children and CMAM Programme in Kaduna State is US$2.7 million, equivalent to N1.1 billion at an official exchange rate of N410 to a US dollar.
“Of this amount, US$1.5 million, equivalent to N621.3 million, has been earmarked for the said intervention by the State ANRiN Project Implementation Unit for the 2022 fiscal year.
“The remaining amount will be released and used for a similar intervention in 2023,” she said.
ANRiN is a five-year World Bank-supported project designed to increase the utilisation of quality, cost-effective nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, and children less than five years.
The objective is to reduce chronic malnutrition and maternal and child mortality rates and, in the long run, increase school completion, and performance and improve labour force productivity.
Under the project, two non-state actors – eHealth Africa and Society for Family Health, are providing the Integrated Basic Package of Nutrition Services and Adolescent Health Services at the community level.
