The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has handed over 11,518 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), containing more than 1.72 million sachets, to the Gombe State Government for the treatment of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
The therapeutic food is intended to support the treatment of 11,518 children aged between six and 23 months who are battling severe acute malnutrition across the state.
The handover took place at Flourish Hotel in Gombe as part of efforts to strengthen the state’s response to child malnutrition.
The supplies were procured through the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF), a financing mechanism that enables governments to combine their contributions with those of development partners to scale up nutrition programmes.
Speaking at the event, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office Chief, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, commended the Gombe State Government for its continued investment in child nutrition.
She said the therapeutic food would help provide essential nutritional support to young children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
Our correspondent reports that the intervention is expected to strengthen the treatment of affected children and support ongoing efforts to improve child nutrition and survival in Gombe State.