The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has identified 300,000 malnourished children in Kwara State and will begin distributing ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) to address the crisis.

Christian Munduate, UNICEF's Country Representative, announced the initiative during a handover ceremony in Ilorin. She highlighted the partnership with the Kwara State Government to deploy 3,964 cartons of RUTF across the state to combat child malnutrition.

"The initiative funded through the Child Nutrition Fund indicates the commitment of both partners to improve child health and address severe acute malnutrition among children in the state," she said.

According to her, the challenge of over 40 per cent of children being stunted and nearly 300,000 children being affected by wasting requires urgent action to address these issues.

Ms Munduate explained that UNICEF and Kwara were partnering to combat malnutrition, particularly during the critical first 1,000 days of life.

She observed that the current management of severe acute malnutrition in Kwara was limited to a few health facilities, adding that it needs to be expanded to more facilities to reach more children.

She disclosed that the Kwara government's contribution of 100,000 Dollars matched by UNICEF to procure the RUTF for treatment "is a major stride and highly commendable".

"This initiative is lifesaving for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition and wasting," stated the UNICEF official.

Earlier in her welcome address, Mary Arinde, the Kwara commissioner for planning and economic development, reiterated the importance of good nutrition for children's mental and physical development.

According to her, RUTF is a condiment developed to help malnourished children overcome their nutritional inadequacies and grow well like their contemporaries.

"It is not just a life-saver but also a destiny-saver for malnourished children as it gives them a second chance to live quality lives," she said.

Kwara's health commissioner, Amina El-Imam, reiterated the state government's resolve to stamp out malnutrition among children.

She explained that Kwara had earlier carried out health and nutrition intervention, including deworming 700,000 children and administering vitamin A, zinc and ORS.

Ms El-Imam pledged to distribute essential life-saving commodities to the various Primary Healthcare facilities across the 16 LGAs.

(NAN)