A Small Sachet, a Healthier Future: How Early Nutrition Support Is Helping Children Thrive in Enugu

When Mrs. Ifeoma Kalu brought her 11-month-old daughter, Miracle, to Abakpa Nike Primary Health Centre for a routine visit, she expected another ordinary check-up.

Instead, the visit revealed something important.

During the routine screening, health workers found that Miracle was slightly malnourished. Before the condition could become more serious, they counselled her mother and provided a 14-day supply of Small-Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements, known as SQ-LNS, to complement the food Miracle was already receiving.

For Mrs. Kalu, the intervention offered more than a nutritional supplement. It offered reassurance that her daughter’s condition had been identified early and that something could be done.

“I came to the health centre for our routine visit, and I was happy that they checked my baby properly,” she says. “When they told me she needed extra nutrients, I was worried at first, but they explained everything to me and gave me the supplements.”

“I am grateful they noticed it early. I will follow the instructions and make sure Miracle receives it.”

Seeing more than a measurement

At Abakpa Nike Primary Health Centre, early nutrition screening is becoming part of the routine care provided to mothers and young children.

Health workers use Mid-Upper Arm Circumference measurements to identify children who may be nutritionally vulnerable or experiencing acute malnutrition. Depending on the results, mothers and caregivers receive counselling, referrals and appropriate nutritional support.

Gift Osinachi Ugwu is one of the health workers providing these services.

Every day, she meets mothers who bring their babies for immunization, growth monitoring and other routine services. She carefully measures each child’s arm, identifies those who need additional support and explains to caregivers how to use the supplements correctly.

For Ugwu, each measurement represents a child whose future can still be protected.

“When I screen a child and identify that the child needs nutritional support, I don’t just see a measurement,” she says. “I see a child whose growth and future we can still protect.”

“Providing healthcare services to mothers and children gives me satisfaction because I know that what I am doing today can contribute to child survival and help a child grow and develop well.”

Ugwu moves from one mother to another, answering questions and providing guidance. She understands that good nutrition during the early years can shape a child’s health, learning and development long into the future.

Across Nigeria, millions of young children do not have access to the nutritious and diverse diets they need to grow and develop well.

UNICEF estimates that around 11 million children under five, about one in three children in the country, experience severe child food poverty, placing them at greater risk of wasting and other forms of malnutrition. Wasting affects an estimated 11.5 per cent of children aged 6 to 59 months, with the burden particularly high among younger children.

The first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from pregnancy to the child’s second birthday, provide an important window to prevent malnutrition and support healthy growth and development.

This is why identifying nutritional vulnerability early matters.

SQ-LNS are nutrient-dense supplements designed for children from six months of age. They contain essential vitamins and minerals and are intended to complement, not replace, the food children eat.

At health facilities such as Abakpa Nike Primary Health Centre, the approach brings prevention closer to families. It allows health workers to identify and support children who might otherwise go unnoticed until their nutritional condition becomes more severe.

For Miracle, that support came during a routine visit, before her condition worsened.

The services at Abakpa Nike Primary Health Centre are part of wider efforts to strengthen nutrition support for young children and their caregivers.

With funding from the United States Government and the Child Nutrition Fund, UNICEF is working with the Government and partners to strengthen nutrition services and bring screening, counselling and appropriate support closer to families.

The approach is based on a simple but important principle: preventing malnutrition requires more than treating children after they become severely ill. It means identifying risks early and helping families access the information and support they need during the period when children are growing most rapidly.

During a visit to Abakpa Nike Primary Health Centre, UNICEF Nigeria Representative Wafaa Saeed saw how health workers were connecting mothers and children with essential nutrition and primary healthcare services.

The visit highlighted the importance of strong community-level health services that can identify vulnerable children early and provide timely support.

For families like the Kalus, the impact is deeply personal.

For health workers like Ugwu, it is a daily reminder that a small intervention can help change the course of a child’s life.

“When we help a mother understand what her child needs, and we see that child come back healthier, that is the reward,” Ugwu says. “We know we are making a difference.”

For Miracle, a routine visit and a small sachet of essential nutrients may have helped place her on a healthier path.

At Abakpa Nike Primary Health Centre, that work continues, one child, one mother and one early intervention at a time.

With support from the United States Government and the Child Nutrition Fund, the Government and UNICEF continue to work with partners to strengthen nutrition services and ensure that vulnerable children have the opportunity to survive, grow and reach their full potential.