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Royal DSM, a global science company active in health and nutrition, UN children’s agency UNICEF, and Swiss-based humanitarian nutrition think tank Sight and Life today announced a new partnership to deliver better nutrition to at-risk children and mothers in Nigeria. The partners will also advocate on a global scale for micronutrient supplementation.
This partnership will focus on reaching mothers and children with nutrition interventions during the crucial first 1,000 days of children’s lives, from conception to age 2. Good nutrition during this period plays a vital role in supporting children’s physical and cognitive development with lifelong benefits and will be guided by the Sustainable Development Goal’s target of ending hunger and improving nutrition everywhere, the partnership will focus on reaching mothers and children with nutrition interventions during the crucial first 1,000 days of children’s lives, from conception to age 2.
Less than 20% of children in Nigeria are fed diets that meet the minimum adequacy for health growth and development and nearly 40% of children under 5 have stunted growth, a condition caused by malnutrition.
Feike Sijbesma, CEO and Chairman of the DSM Managing Board said, “Good nutrition is a human right. DSM is proud to partner once again with UNICEF and Sight and Life to improve nutrition in Nigeria and across Africa, especially for vulnerable populations like women and children. It is an important step toward achieving a world without hunger and a world in which people everywhere can reach their full potential.”
DSM offers essential vitamins, nutrients, and fortification solutions as well as expertise that complement the research, programs, and global reach of UNICEF and Sight and Life.
UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said, “Nutrition is one of the most effective and cost-effective investments we can make — in children’s lives and futures, and in the long-term strength of their societies. Every child has a right to grow up healthy and strong, and this new partnership with Royal DSM and Sight and Life will help more children in Nigeria to realize that right.”
Together, the partners will develop scalable models and drive innovation to improve the quality of food and nutrition in Nigeria, with the goal of spurring similar action in other countries where malnutrition is a critical concern. The partners will also advocate on a global scale for best practices in micronutrient supplementation.
The new partnership builds on joint activity by DSM and UNICEF from 2013-2015 that supported micronutrient powder (MNP) programs in Madagascar and Nigeria. Together the organizations already improved nutrition for about 400,000 children in Nigeria through the MNP pilot program.
Klaus Kraemer, Managing Director of Sight and Life said, “With our expertise in implementation research and social and behaviour change communication, we will effectively contribute to nutrition programs at scale in Nigeria.”