The Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), on Wednesday commenced training of 100 vulnerable women on nutrition preparedness for emergencies in the state.
Speaking at the training in Kafanchan, the SEMA Nutrition Desk Officer, Rebecca Gaiya, listed the vulnerable to include: Internally Displaced Persons, People Living with Disabilities and People living with HIV/AIDs.
Gaiya explained that the groups of women were selected, “because they were the most affected during emergencies.”
She said the training was designed to build the knowledge levels and capacity of vulnerable women in the area of nutrition in emergencies.
This, Gaiya stated, was to reduce incidences of malnutrition across the state.
“Natural disasters and other man-made crises expose vulnerable groups to greater risk of illness, malnutrition and death.
“We are much concerned about these groups of people, especially in times of emergencies, because they are the most affected.
“They suffer a whole lot in terms of feeding and taking care of their children.
“And that is why we are trying to build them up with the capacity to adequately prepare a nutrition response, whenever they find themselves in emergency situations.”
Also speaking, Jane Gwani, a Nutritionist said; “inadequate access to nutritious foods poses a major challenge to people affected by disasters or conflicts during emergency.”
Gwani maintained that lactating mothers who found themselves in emergency situations needed to be encouraged to continue exclusive breast feeding.
According to her, this is the only key to brain development of the child.
“Children who miss the first 1000 days of their life without proper nutrition become mentally retarded and unable to realize their full potentials in life.
“Once a child misses the first 1000 days of life and what he needs is not given, his brain is retarded.
“And for life, his IQ and productivity levels are lowered, but with exclusive breast and complementary feeding, he or she can attain their potentials.”
Some of the participants who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),
