By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has commended Dandore Community in Toro LGA of Bauchi State, stressing that the Community is a model of example in healthy living.
The commendation was made by the UNICEF Deputy Country Representative, Programme, Dr. Rownak Khan when She visited the Community on an assessment of how they are implementing the child nutrition initiatives of the organization.
The UNICEF Deputy Country Representative, Programme expressed happiness with the setting of the Community describing it as a model to be emulated across the country.
She stated that, “I am very pleased to visit Dandore Community, the community has a very good leadership, from what I have seen, the community leaders do take care of their community members.”
According to her, “I have seen a lot of the women looking good and healthy, nursing mothers looking well fed, I have seen that they have been taking their children for Immunization, they also have toilets in their houses.”
“They are also doing a lot of kitchen gardens and making nutritious foods for their children using the local sources. I think this is a very good example of how communities should be,” She added.
Dr. Rownak Khan stressed that, “They can be sufficient and can improve not only their nutritional status and their children U-5, but overall health conditions and I hope other communities in Nigeria can follow the example here in Dandore.”
She then reiterated the commitment of UNICEF to providing technical support to communities in Bauchi State in order to sustain its various interventions on improving the health of women and children.
The Deputy Country Representative, Programme pointed out that UNICEF will continue support at various levels just to ensure that women and children are not denied access to quality healthcare services and education.
According to her, ,”UNICEF is working with a lot of communities in Bauchi State for a long time, so, UNICEF support will be mainly technical support, because, we have been providing funding support.”
She stressed that, “But now, the communities and the government, they need to take up ownership of how they actually provide support to their own people. That is why we are here, we will provide them with guidance but mainly with technical support.”
