EU donates N102m to tackle malnutrition in Sokoto, Zamfara

The European Union (EU) is allocating an additional €300 000 (N102m) in humanitarian aid to provide life-saving treatment to undernourished children in Sokoto and Zamfara states.

This was contained in a statement issued Wednesday in Abuja by the regional information officer for North, West and Central Africa, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), Hilaire Avril.

Avril said the funds would allow the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) to provide undernourished children and their mothers with immediate nutrition treatment.

She said mobile health teams would be sent out to strengthen the capacity of health facilities in delivering comprehensive basic health care services and supportive medical supervision.

“EU is stepping up its humanitarian assistance in Nigeria to help in addressing the child under-nutrition emergency that the North-west region is facing.

“Our funding will contribute to deliver the much-needed treatment for children and improve access to basic health care, timely help from the international community is essential to save children’s lives,” she said.

According to him, 280,000 children under five years of age in Sokoto and Zamfara states are estimated to be suffering from severe acute malnutrition, a life-threatening condition.

She said those states regularly face cholera, yellow fever and meningitis outbreaks, while “malaria is endemic and measles is recurrent.”

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