The Bayelsa Ministry of Health, in collaboration with UNICEF and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has inaugurated a one-year project aimed at preventing malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life.

Speaking at the inauguration in Yenagoa on Tuesday, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Lagos, Ms Celine Lafoucriere, said the initiative targeted pregnant women and children under two years across the state.

Lafoucriere said the project sought 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.

According to her, the intervention is designed to give every child in Bayelsa a better chance not only to survive but also to grow, learn and reach full potential.

“That is what the first 1,000 days of life protect.

“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.

“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,” she said.

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.

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

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

She described the partnership as a demonstration of commitment by 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.

“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,” she said.

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.

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.

He said that the Bayelsa Government had also contributed resources to support efforts aimed at eliminating child stunting and malnutrition in the state.

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.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Ogbia Local Government Area, Mr Golden Jeremiah, commended UNICEF and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for supporting the nutrition intervention programme for children.(NAN