Lovetta Gbowoe: A Mother's story of Hope and Nutrition
How UNICEF and the government of France are helping to save lives and improve the health of children in Liberia
Lovetta Gbowoe is a 32-year-old mother who lives in the Pouh Town community of Grand Gedeh County, Liberia. She is a beneficiary of the mother support group programme, which is supported by UNICEF and implemented by Concern Worldwide.
Lovetta has a 7-month-old baby named Shanell. She takes Shanell for growth monitoring regularly and has learned about the importance of timely complementary feeding and micronutrient powder through the mother support group.
"When Shanell turns 6 months, I started feeding her with rice dust mixed with fish dust and other food like banana, pawpaw, and butter pear along with the taytay water," Lovetta says. "I also give her the micronutrient powder that the health workers give me."
Lovetta is happy to see that Shanell is growing strong and healthy. She credits the mother support group and the micronutrient powder for her daughter's good health.
"I have decided to encourage other mothers who don't know about the medicine to go and get it for their children to grow good too," Lovetta says.
Thanks to the support of the government of France and other donors, UNICEF is able to provide mother support groups and micronutrient powder to mothers and children in Liberia. These programmes are helping to improve the health and nutrition of children across the country.
Mother support groups provide a safe and supportive space for mothers to learn about nutrition, breastfeeding, and other childcare topics. They also provide mothers with the opportunity to share their experiences and learn from each other.
UNICEF is working with the government of Liberia and other partners to implement a comprehensive nutrition programme that includes different interventions, such as,Micronutrient powder supplementation, timely complementary feeding promotion and breastfeeding support.
Thanks to the support of the government of France and other donors, UNICEF can reach millions of mothers and children with its nutrition programme. This programme is helping to prevent malnutrition and improve the health of children in Liberia.
