The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the Katsina State Government, has launched the distribution of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) to about 8,000 malnourished children in the state.

Speaking during the launch of the programme on Wednesday, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, said 7,000 cartons of RUTF would be distributed to affected children in 24 Local Government Areas.

Munduate said RUTF are life-saving supplements targeted to reach children between 0-5 years who have severe acute malnutrition, and that the effort aims to save as many children’s lives as possible.

She said the supplements cost N400 million and were procured through the Child Nutrition Match Fund, with the state government providing N200 million, while UNICEF provided a matching fund of N200 million.

She described the category of malnourished children to benefit to include those who are “so thin they cannot open their eyes, those who are not able to open their mouths to eat, as well as those whose body size is smaller than usual.”

Munduate added that an additional 1,400 nutritional supplements would also be provided for those children who have not yet reached the acute malnutrition stage but still have traces of malnourishment.

“What we want to do is to prevent them from falling into that dangerous situation,” she said, even as she called on parents to “take their children to the nearest health facility if they notice they are getting ill or becoming thin.”

She said the procured RUTF is for 2023, and that UNICEF hopes to double the amount for this year so that the deaths of children between 0-5 years would be greatly minimised in the state.

Speaking, Governor Dikko Radda lamented the high number of malnourished children in the state, adding that the situation had been exacerbated by the economic realities currently facing many people.

Radda, however, said with the launch of the RUTF, many children’s lives would be saved, especially those within 0-5 years, “which is the most critical period in life.”

He commended UNICEF for the matching fund, even as he assured that his administration would continue to partner with bodies that would help improve children’s health in the state.