Ebonyi, UNICEF Join Forces to Give Children Healthier Future
By Nkech Ewa
Ebonyi State is taking bold steps to improve child welfare, as the government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) pledged stronger collaboration to tackle malnutrition, poor immunization, open defecation, and preventable diseases.
On Friday, UNICEF Nigeria’s Chief of Field Services, Judith Léveillé, led a high-level delegation to the Governor’s Office, Abakaliki, where she met with Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru and members of the State Executive Council. The discussions focused on child rights, health, nutrition, birth registration, water and sanitation.
“We had a very fruitful dialogue on advancing the situation of children in Ebonyi, especially in health, nutrition, birth registration, water and sanitation. I found the governor extremely committed to ensuring that children get the best start in life,” Léveillé said.
UNICEF has supported Ebonyi State with over one million dollars in the past three years, providing technical assistance and strengthening health programmes. Léveillé highlighted progress in birth registration, with the state recording about 600 births daily, and praised collaborations with the National Population Commission, ALGON, NIMC and Barn Forte Technology Limited to expand electronic registration.
In health, the agency commended routine immunization efforts, support for cold chain equipment, the Abakaliki cold store, and the provision of an oxygen plant. She also drew attention to the Multi-Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) tracking child rights and development across the state.
Despite these gains, challenges remain. UNICEF reported that about one-third of children under five are stunted, while over 417,000 children suffer from anemia. To address this, Governor Nwifuru committed ₦150 million to the Child Nutrition Fund, matched by UNICEF.
The delegation also called for six-month maternity leave, strengthened Maternal and Child Health Weeks, expanded deworming and breastfeeding programs, and intensified efforts to reach over 10,000 unvaccinated children.
Sanitation is another major focus. Over 2.5 million people in Ebonyi still practice open defecation, increasing the risk of cholera. UNICEF proposed the construction of 2.5 million latrines to curb the problem, while Governor Nwifuru assured that the state would build toilets in schools, markets and public places.
“This disease has killed over 20,000 people, and we can end it now,” Léveillé said, urging urgent and sustained action.
Governor Nwifuru also stressed the importance of data-driven interventions, instructing local government chairmen to ensure that all children are immunized and urging UNICEF to intensify sensitization on exclusive breastfeeding.
Léveillé praised the governor’s bold health sector reforms and timely release of counterpart funding, describing them as a demonstration of strong political will toward improving the lives of Ebonyi children
