Bayelsa Unveils $640,000 Malnutrition Project with UNICEF and Church

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The Bayelsa Ministry of Health, in partnership with UNICEF and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has kicked off a one-year initiative to combat malnutrition in the state. This multi-organisation project will target over 100,000 pregnant women and children under two years old in four local government areas.

Speaking at the event in Yenagoa, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Lagos, Ms Celine Lafoucriere, said the initiative aims to prevent malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life. According to her, the project seeks to detect and prevent malnutrition early during the critical period from pregnancy to a child's second birthday, when physical and brain development occur most rapidly.

Lafoucriere explained that stunting occurs when children do not receive adequate nutrition early in life, affecting both physical growth and cognitive development. She said the condition often results in poor educational outcomes and reduced economic opportunities later in life. The project is designed to give every child in Bayelsa a better chance not only to survive but also to grow, learn and reach full potential.

The project was funded with a N280 million budget, with N140 million contributed by the Bayelsa Government and a matching N140 million provided by UNICEF. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is funding the project for one year.

UNICEF is proud to partner with Bayelsa in this work. When government takes the lead and partners follow through with real support, nutrition supplies reach children before problems take root.

A child gets weighed and measured regularly. A mother is shown exactly how to feed her baby by healthcare workers. Children who would normally slip through unnoticed get counted, get fed and get followed up.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, represented by Dr Williams Appah, Executive Secretary of the Bayelsa State Primary Health Care Board, commended UNICEF and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for supporting the initiative. Appah said the grant would cover four local government areas of the state and appealed to stakeholders to ensure that the intervention reached the intended beneficiaries.

According to him, health officials had previously supported children affected by stunted growth, but the new funding and community sensitisation would strengthen efforts to tackle malnutrition.

The UNICEF official explained that the most recent National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2024) found that more than one in four children in Nigeria are stunted, while nearly half of pregnant women are anaemic.

“From the moment a woman becomes pregnant to her child’s second birthday, a body and a brain are being built. What happens in that window cannot be undone later.”

Lafoucriere commended the Bayelsa Government and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for investing in the health and wellbeing of children in the state. “Somewhere in the state right now, a child is living through their first 1,000 days. They do not know this inception meeting is happening. But by the end of this year, I hope they will be healthier and better fed because of what we do here today,” she said.

She said the condition often results in poor educational outcomes and reduced economic opportunities later in life. “These are children who will struggle more in school and may struggle later to earn a living, through no fault of their own. That is why today matters,” she said.

The UNICEF official said that the project would strengthen efforts to tackle malnutrition in the state. According to her, the initiative aims to prevent malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life.

“That is exactly what this project, and the funding behind it, is built to change.”

Lafoucriere explained that the partnership demonstrates commitment from the government and development partners to improving child nutrition and maternal health outcomes. “UNICEF is proud to stand with Bayelsa in this work. When government takes the lead and partners follow through with real support, nutrition supplies reach children before problems take root,” she said.

The UNICEF official commended the Bayelsa Government and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for supporting the initiative.

The Bayelsa Government contributed N140 million, while UNICEF provided a matching N140 million. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is funding the project for one year.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, represented by Dr Williams Appah, Executive Secretary of the Bayelsa State Primary Health Care Board, commended UNICEF and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for supporting the initiative.

The UNICEF official explained that the most recent National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2024) found that more than one in four children in Nigeria are stunted, while nearly half of pregnant women are anaemic.

Lafoucriere explained that stunting occurs when children do not receive adequate nutrition early in life, affecting both physical growth and cognitive development.

The project will target over 100,000 pregnant women and children under two years old in four local government areas. It is designed to give every child in Bayelsa a better chance not only to survive but also to grow, learn and reach full potential.

The project was funded with a N280 million budget, with N140 million contributed by the Bayelsa Government and a matching N140 million provided by UNICEF. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is funding the project for one year.

The UNICEF official explained that the partnership demonstrates commitment from the government and development partners to improving child nutrition and maternal health outcomes.

According to her, health officials had previously supported children affected by stunted growth, but the new funding and community sensitisation would strengthen efforts to tackle malnutrition.

The initiative aims to prevent malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life. Lafoucriere explained that stunting occurs when children do not receive adequate nutrition early in life, affecting both physical growth and cognitive development.

She said the condition often results in poor educational outcomes and reduced economic opportunities later in life. “These are children who will struggle more in school and may struggle later to earn a living, through no fault of their own. That is why today matters,” she said.

The Bayelsa Government contributed N140 million, while UNICEF provided a matching N140 million. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is funding the project for one year.

“Somewhere in the state right now, a child is living through their first 1,000 days. They do not know this inception meeting is happening. But by the end of this year, I hope they will be healthier and better fed because of what we do here today,” she said.

She said the partnership demonstrates commitment from the government and development partners to improving child nutrition and maternal health outcomes.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, represented by Dr Williams Appah, Executive Secretary of the Bayelsa State Primary Health Care Board, commended UNICEF and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for supporting the initiative.

Lafoucriere explained that the project would strengthen efforts to tackle malnutrition in the state. According to her, the initiative aims to prevent malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life.

The UNICEF official commended the Bayelsa Government and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for supporting the initiative. According to her, the project would strengthen efforts to tackle malnutrition in the state.

The partnership demonstrates commitment from the government and development partners to improving child nutrition and maternal health outcomes. The Bayelsa Government contributed N140 million, while UNICEF provided a matching N140 million. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is funding the project for one year.

Lafoucriere explained that the project aims to prevent malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life. According to her, the initiative seeks to detect and prevent malnutrition early during the critical period from pregnancy to a child's second birthday, when physical and brain development occur most rapidly.

She said the condition often results in poor educational outcomes and reduced economic opportunities later in life. “These are children who will struggle more in school and may struggle later to earn a living, through no fault of their own. That is why today matters,” she said.

The UNICEF official commended the Bayelsa Government and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for supporting the initiative. According to her, the project would strengthen efforts to tackle malnutrition in the state.

The initiative aims to prevent malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life. Lafoucriere explained that stunting occurs when children do not receive adequate nutrition early in life, affecting both physical growth and cognitive development.

She said the condition often results in poor educational outcomes and reduced economic opportunities later in life. “These are children who will struggle more in school and may struggle later to earn a living, through no fault of their own. That is why today matters,” she said.

The Bayelsa Government contributed N140 million, while UNICEF provided a matching N140 million. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is funding the project for one year.

The UNICEF official explained that the most recent National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2024) found that more than one in four children in Nigeria are stunted, while nearly half of pregnant women are anaemic. The initiative aims to prevent malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life.

Context is that child growth and brain development are crucial to later health outcomes and economic opportunities.

The project's target of over 100,000 vulnerable children and pregnant women in Bayelsa aims to strengthen efforts to tackle malnutrition in the state.