Kaduna incorporates early child development

The Lafiya Programme of the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is supporting Kaduna State Government to incorporate Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH).

Desk Officer (School Health), Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board, Malam Kabir Lawal, disclosed this during a two-day capacity-building training in Zaria, yesterday.

The training was meant to boost the capacity of health managers and ECD Desk Officers and Supervisors on the incorporation of ECD and ASRH.

Lawal explained that the goal is to promote the general wellbeing of the child and prepare children to cope with challenges confronting adolescents, to enable them to grow into healthy adulthood.

One of the facilitators, Mr. Abdulrahaman Mikail, said the training would allow participants to identify barriers and opportunities for the effective implementation of ECD and ASRH programmes.

The lead resource person, Hajiya Amina Ndatsu, said ECD is concerned with all the care, support and interventions required for survival, growth, and development of the child, from conception to five years.

Ndatsu said ECD requires a multi-sectoral approach, covering health, education, nutrition and child protection. She explained that ASRH is concerned with adolescent sexuality, pregnancy, childbirth, health, nutrition, family planning, antenatal and postnatal care, breastfeeding, and young child feeding.