To boost child survival in Nigeria through optimal nutrition, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, in partnership with the Lagos State Government, FHI360 Alive &Thrive, Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will be holding a one-day sensitization conference to promote infant and young child feeding practices.
The conference, which is targeted at medical directors of private health facilities in the state will take place at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja on 12th February, 2019, as part of the ‘Alive & Thrive’ project.
Alive & Thrive is an initiative to save lives, prevent illness, and ensure healthy growth and development through the promotion and support of optimal maternal nutrition, breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices. The organisation believes that good nutrition in the first 1,000 days from conception to two years of age is critical to enable all children to lead healthier and more productive lives.
The Wellbeing Foundation Africa is one of the key implementing partners of Alive &Thrive Nigeria currently working with 500 private health facilities across 10 local government areas in Lagos State as well as Kaduna State by providing advocacy, capacity building and health promotion in the area of infant and young child feeding practices.
Speaking on the forthcoming conference, the Founder/President of Wellbeing Foundation Africa, Mrs Toyin Saraki, said: “ I am delighted, alongside our valued partners, to welcome the medical directors of the 500 private medical facilities in which the Alive and Thrive project is being undertaken in Lagos State”.
“Together we will transform the indices on Infant and young child feeding practices in Lagos, by improving practices on early initiation to breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and promoting proper complimentary feeding after the first six months .”
“Alive & Thrive aims to save lives, prevent illness, stunting and malnutrition, and ensure the healthy growth and development of infants and young children through improved breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, using a four-pronged approach: policy and advocacy; interpersonal communication and community mobilization; mass communication; and strategic use of data.”
