The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has provided essential nutrition services to 1.2 million pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls and children under five in Kano State, as part of the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project.
Senior communications manager at IHVN, Ms. Uzoma Nwofor disclosed this in a statement on Thursday. The project, which ran from 2021 to 2024, was implemented in collaboration with the World Bank and Global Financing Facility, targeting nine local government areas (LGAs) in Kano State.
Chief of Party for the ANRiN project, Dr. Temitope Kolade highlighted its success, achieving 100 per cent coverage across 96 wards in the nine LGAs. The project provided nutrition counseling for mothers, distributed iron and folic acid supplements and offered treatment options for pregnant women and children.
Additionally, the project enrolled 1.2 million individuals, including over 725,000 children under five. It also educated mothers and caregivers on exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices.
Nwofor credited the project’s success to the support from the Kano State government, traditional rulers, community-based organisations and local volunteers. An innovative supply chain strategy was also introduced to improve the availability and safety of nutrition products.
The ANRiN project, supported by the World Bank, aimed to improve maternal and child nutrition services across 12 states in Nigeria, with Kano being one of the focus areas.
