UNICEF Urges Parents To Prioritise First 1,000 Days of Child’s Life
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on parents to focus on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, a period that is crucial for growth and development. Judith Leveillee, UNICEF Nigeria’s Chief of Field Operations and Emergency, emphasized this need during a two-day working visit by a UNICEF delegation to Jigawa State.
Leveillee urged parents to prioritize early childhood development, sanitation, education, healthcare, and nutrition, and to ensure women receive adequate antenatal and postnatal care. She praised the Jigawa State Government’s MASAKI Nutrition Programme, highlighting it as a community-driven initiative that utilizes locally available nutritious foods.
“I love the MASAKI programme. It is a golden opportunity in the first 1,000 days of children’s lives. This is where action needs to be taken to give children the best start,” Leveillee said.
During her visit to a backyard garden owned by Bahijja Muhammad in the Shafar community of Ringim Local Government Area, she noted that the state government, in collaboration with UNICEF, supports pregnant women and lactating mothers with seedlings and livestock to enhance household nutrition.
Leveillee advocated for the expansion of the MASAKI programme beyond its current pilot areas—Ringim, Dutse, and Kafin-Hausa— to encompass all 27 local government areas in Jigawa State.
On this occasion, 1,200 livestock were distributed to pregnant women and lactating mothers in Ringim. This effort was inaugurated by Hajiya Hadiza Abdulwahab, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development.
According to the state nutrition officer, the programme aims to identify and address malnutrition before it becomes critical. Routine health data identifies communities with high malnutrition rates, enabling the establishment of 300 MASAKI centers across the state’s 30 constituencies.
These centers serve as weekly meeting points where mothers and caregivers learn to screen children for malnutrition, prepare nutritious meals with locally available ingredients, and monitor their children’s progress. Children with moderate malnutrition are managed at the community level, while those with severe cases are referred for specialized care. The programme is primarily driven by women, empowering them to improve their children’s nutrition using local resources.
