Action
The major objectives of the Survival and Early Child Care programme are to:
These projects all contribute in different but complementary ways to addressing the survival and development rights of about 5 million children, aged 0-5 years, mostly in the 111 UNICEF focus Local Government Areas (LGAs). However, the immunisation and the micronutrient component of the nutrition project cover the whole of Nigeria. UNICEF also focuses on strengthening the health system, particularly at the local Government level, improving household access to essential child care information and services and equipping caregivers with knowledge and skills so they can adopt appropriate behaviours for health care at home. Since 2006, UNICEF has supported the Accelerated Child Survival and Development (ACSD) strategy, building on experiences of 11 African countries where the programme has succeeded in reducing child mortality. The thrust of ACSD implementation include the selection of low cost, high impact intervention packages like strengthening routine immunisation, Vitamin A supplementation, exclusive breastfeeding, Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) and the use of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs). These interventions target the most vulnerable groups - pregnant women and children under five years of age. The strategy is to provide these packages through three different delivery modes: strengthening community and household activities; improving access through outreach services; improving access to and quality of clinical care. Key to the success of UNICEF intervention in reducing child and maternal mortality is the training of health personnel, focussing mainly on illnesses such as malaria, diarrhoea, and respiratory infections through the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) approach. The programme supports the development of training manuals and guidelines, tools for supportive supervision and facilitates orientation workshops towards attitudinal change for staff. In addition, Community Resource Persons (CORPs), directly in touch with communities and households, are being trained to assist caregivers adopt key household and community practices. UNICEF is actively involved in immunisation campaigns. Since 2006, Nigeria has adopted a more integrated approach to polio eradication with the ‘Immunisation ‘Plus’ Days strategy. Instead of only offering the oral polio vaccines, the Immunisation Plus Days also incorporate the provision of other antigens and some child survival interventions such as Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs) and Vitamin A supplementation. UNICEF’s intervention for immunisation against preventable diseases focuses on social mobilisation, vaccine security and cold chain improvements. Important progress was made thanks to UNICEF-facilitated strategy in engaging communities and mobilising traditional and religious leaders. UNICEF also procures all routine immunisation vaccines on behalf of the Government since 2003. For malaria control, the programme focuses on prevention through use of Long Lasting Insecticide Nets by under-5 children and pregnant women. The programme also promotes Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPT) for pregnant women. As UNICEF continuously explores opportunities for convergence and synergy, an agreement is in place to work with the World Bank in States where the malaria booster project is being implemented. While the project focuses on malaria, it also strengthens service delivery capacity and provides child survival commodities beyond malaria. UNICEF supports nutrition projects in two major areas:
Apart from the assistance given for the procurement and distribution of vitamin A capsules, the programme has also helped in the formulation of Nigeria’s current strategy for micronutrient deficiency control, championing the fortification of staple food with Vitamin A so that children will naturally consume the vitamin in their food. UNICEF contributes to the success of this strategy by creating demand through social marketing techniques and advocating to manufacturers and importers. Dietary diversification, including the promotion of community gardens and preparation of nutritionally-adequate complementary foods from locally available products is also being encouraged through UNICEF assisted projects. Health and nutrition is also an important component of the integrated approach to early childhood development, involving the interplay between health, nutrition, sanitation, and education. This has entailed focusing on improvement of early childhood care in households and supporting early child care activities at community level. In particular, UNICEF aims to improve nutritional practices and household health care capacity through the promotion of key household practices for children under five. Community sensitisation is carried out by community resource persons and ward working groups, using counselling guides, flip charts, and posters in local dialects in over 100 communities.
|
