A 25-year-old Malama Amina of Nasaru Village in Ningi Local Government Area of Bauchi state who lost her two children of malnutrition has begged for a Non-governmental organization The Action against Hunger International to establish a Community Based Management of Acute Malnutrition Centre (CMAM centres) in the state.
She made the appeal at Bamaina (CMAM) centre in Birnin Kudu local government area of Jigawa state when officials of Action Against Hunger visited the centre.
Amina, a mother of two from Bauchi state, said she had lost both children to malnutrition because there was no such centre in Bauchi state.
” I lost my first and second-born children in the same case because at that time I don’t know about the CMAM centre to take him to”
“Initially we related the case to witchcraft and used to visit traditional herbalist (Boka) for medicine to no avail,” she said.
” The problem is most of the women in rural areas lack awareness on the causes and symptoms of malnutrition they mostly believed in superstitions ”
“My third child before he can not even sit but after I have taken him to Bamaina CMAM centre within three weeks he recovered,” she stated.
” if we had such centres in our area the lives of my two children and others could have been saved” Amina cried.
DAILY POST reports that apart from the community members of Kiyako ward in Birnin Kudu local government area of Jigawa state community members of neighbouring local governments area in Bauchi state are also taking their Malnourished children to Bamaina CMAM center for Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food(RUTF).
Action Against Hunger focal person in Bamaina CMAM center Nuhu Suleiman said the number of weekly registered children with malnutrition cases is decreasing due to the level of awareness campaigns to mothers on the precautions and kinds of food expected to be given to their children.
He explained that previously, the centre registers about forty cases of malnourished children every week against the current number of only fifteen cases weekly.
According to Nuhu, aside the Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food(RUTF) given to the victims the centre for the management of Acute Malnutrition ( CMAM), also feeds about 360 malnourished children while also educating the mothers on how best to cook their local food for the children.
