A Civil Society Organization (CSO) Scale Up Nutrition in Nigeria (SUNN) in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) has organised a training workshop on increasing investment in nutrition in Zamfara state.
The two-day training workshop was organized for the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on capacity building for advocacy strategy and budget tracking in Zamfara state.
During the opening of the workshop on Wednesday which was held at Jaiz hotel in Gusau, Zamfara state,the Program officer CS-SUNN Mr Ambrose Evhoesor said the training was aimed to increase investment in nutrition to scale-up quality nutrition service.
“Scale up nutrition is a unique movement founded on the principle that all people have a right to food and nutrition”.
According to him,CS- SUNN unites people from government, civil society,United Nations, donors, businesses and researchers in a collective efforts to improve nutrition.
In his remarks,the Zamfara state coordinator CS- SUNN Kabiru Isah jangeru disclosed that Civil Society Organizations in the state were able to succeeded on making government to increase the budgetary allocation nutrition through advocacy and meetings with relevant authorities in the state.
Jangeru address which was read by Zamfara state Co chair Ambassador Musa Aboki said 20 Organizations have registered with them,and were conducting regular meetings with members on issues of malnutrition in the state.
“We’re able to pay visit to relevant authorities and advocate for the increase budget on nutrition,part of activities we distributed palliative to some IDP’s in the state”. He stated.
He stressed that part of their challenge was the issue of Funds, insecurity ,low active participation and lack of financial support from the government among others.
Also, the Zamfara state nutrition officer Abdulrazak Bashar disclosed that there are 65 community management acute malnutrition (CMAM) centers across the state,where he lamented the diversion of nutrition commodity,which he said they would no longer tolerate it.
He maintained that now the distribution of nutrition commodity is through the local government council chairmen who would than present it to distribution centers in the areas.
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