The European Union (EU) is allocating an additional €300 000 (N102m) in humanitarian aid to provide life-saving treatment to undernourished children in Nigeria’s northwestern states of Sokoto and Zamfara.
This was contained in a statement by Hilaire Avril, Regional Information Officer for North, West and Central Africa, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), issued to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.
Avril said the funds would allow United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) to provide undernourished children and their mothers with immediate nutrition treatment.
She said mobile health teams would be sent out to strengthen the capacity of health facilities in delivering comprehensive basic health care services and supportive medical supervision.
“EU is stepping up its humanitarian assistance in Nigeria to help in addressing the child undernutrition emergency that the northwest region is facing.
“Our funding will contribute to deliver the much-needed treatment for children and improve access to basic health care, timely help from the international community is essential to save children’s lives.” Avril said.
According to him, 280,000 children under five years of age in Sokota and Zamfara states are estimated to be suffering from severe acute malnutrition, which is a life-threating condition.
She noted that those states regularly face cholera, yellow fever and meningitis outbreaks, while malaria is endemic and measles is recurrent.