UNICEF Donates 11,580 Cartons of Therapeutic Food to Gombe for Malnourished Children
Kola Oyelere Kano
Read also: UNICEF Urges Media to Champion Better Public Financing for Children
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has handed over 11,580 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to the Gombe State Government to support the treatment of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
The Chief of UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, disclosed this during the handover ceremony, where she commended the state government for committing ₦500 million in counterpart funding for nutrition interventions in 2025.
Rafique explained that the Child Nutrition Fund matched the state government’s contribution with an additional ₦500 million, bringing the total funding to ₦1 billion for life-saving nutrition interventions.
She said the initiative was aimed at improving access to therapeutic food and strengthening efforts to combat severe acute malnutrition among children in the state.
The UNICEF official urged Mama2Mama and Fathers for Good Health groups to intensify community sensitisation to ensure parents and caregivers understand the importance of RUTF in treating children with severe acute malnutrition.
She emphasised that the therapeutic food was specifically designed for affected children and must not be diverted or used for other purposes.
Rafique also commended the state government for establishing a committee to prevent the diversion, abuse and misuse of humanitarian supplies.
Read also: 7.8 million children ,to be vaccinated with Measles-Rubella vaccines in Kano — UNICEF
She stressed the need for effective monitoring and accountability mechanisms to ensure the donated products reached the intended beneficiaries.
The Gombe State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Professor Bertha Abdu, appreciated UNICEF for its continued support, particularly its interventions aimed at improving the health and well-being of women and children.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Habu Dahiru, said adequate nutrition was essential for raising children who were physically healthy and mentally sound.
Dahiru disclosed that the ministry was producing locally developed nutritious food in large quantities to complement UNICEF’s interventions and address malnutrition in the state.
He added that the ministry was collaborating with the North-East Development Commission to expand its production facility, with the aim of making the locally produced nutritious food available in Gombe and neighbouring states.
According to him, the ministry is ready to partner with UNICEF and other development partners to increase production and tackle moderate malnutrition.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Micah Sunday, described UNICEF as a reliable development partner whose interventions had continued to support the healthy growth and development of children in the state.
He said the donated therapeutic food would improve the health and development of malnourished children, helping them grow into healthy and productive members of society.
The Gombe State Government assured UNICEF that the distribution of the 11,580 cartons of RUTF would be closely monitored to ensure they reached children suffering from severe acute malnutrition across the state.