The Sustainable Malnutrition Intervention programme (SMALINT) purposed to combat malnutrition through conscious food intervention, sensitization and follow-up, came to a close this month after a 6-month run. Food demonstration classes, a major component of this programme, sensitized 1,600 mothers across the 6 months and helped 37 children beat malnutrition. This represents 92.5% of the Foundation’s target. Despite targeting 40 children, the SMALINT programme ended up enrolling 58 children (23 males, 35 females) with 17 of them suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (8 males, 9 females), which suggests that there is much more to be done in the collective fight against malnutrition.
Before and After pictures of the Omonojo twins (Omotomiwa and Omobayowa)
On site to review the success of the programme were the Executive Director, Oladele Fajemirokun Foundation, Mrs. LawumiFajemirokun; the Executive Chairman, Lekki Local Council Development Area, Hon. Rasaki Bamidele Kasali; Nutrition Programme Officer of the Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. AdetokeAdekitan; the Programme Manager, Oladele Fajemirokun Foundation, Mr. Kene Egbue; 25 Ward Health Committe chairpersons, as well as the management and staff of the Lekki Primary Healthcare Centre, Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area.
Speaking at the Primary Healthcare Centre, Mrs. Fajemirokun thanked all stakeholders on the project for their unwavering commitment to its success and promised to strengthen the Foundation’s relationship with the community. Whilst reeling out the statistics on the intervention through the project cycle, the Nutrition Officer for Ibeju-Lekki LGA, Mrs. Motunrayo Coker shed light on the most pressing causes of malnutrition in the community; poverty being the most common cause as the community members were predominantly small-scale fishermen and petty traders.
(m): Hon. Kasali Rasaki, Executive Chairman, Lekki Local Council Development Authority; (2nd right): Mrs. LawumiFajemirokun, Executive Director, Oladele Fajemirokun Foundation; (R): Dr. AdekitanAdetoke
Further to the recorded results, the proprietress of the Vocational Training Centre, Orimedu, Mrs. Blessing Akinpelu was present to speak to the mothers on the economic opportunities created through a partnership with the Foundation. Mrs. Akinpelu noted that the idea was to identify the mothers without economic means and help them acquire skills with which they could be assisted to start small businesses or be employed within those industries, in a bid to make better nutritional provisions for their children. Drawing from the rise in industrial set ups around the Free Trade Zone, the vocational training centre will also be tailoring its programmes to satisfy the employment requirements of these companies thereby ensuring that participants can more easily be absorbed into the economy and sustain the gains from SMALINT. Thanking the Foundation, the Nutrition Programme Officer for Lagos State,Dr. Adekitan expressed pleasure at the 6-months results andpledged the continuous support of the Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board on such novel programmes.
Cross-section of some beneficiary moms; middle: Mrs. LawumiFajemirokun, Executive Director, Oladele Fajemirokun Foundation
