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UNICEF initiates child-friendly community  programme  in Gombe

Gombe, March 12,2020  The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) says it has begun  the creation of child-friendly communities in two Local Government Areas of Gombe state.

Daybreak reports that the LGAs  identified for the programme  include Balanga in Gombe South and Dukku in Gombe North, with three communities in each of the areas.

Mr Bhanu Pathak ,  UNICEF’s  Chief   Field Officer  in Bauchi,  stated this in Gombe at the inception meeting of its Child friendly Community Initiative programme   on Thursday.

He said that the inception meeting was to build the capacity of stakeholders in what they were expected to do during the implementation of the programme.

Pathak said there were a lot of issues affecting children in Gombe, which included nutrition, education and immunisation, hence the need to implement the programme.

According to him,  over 600 children are  out of school in Gombe, which is a serious problem.

“In the area of nutrition,  more than 50 per cent of Gombe children are stunted,which is higher than the National figure; this is worrisome and needs to be addressed holistically,” he said.

The UNICEF official  said that at the end of the meeting, participants are  expected to know their roles and responsibilities, from state to LG and ward levels.

He said that subsequently,  the Initiative would  be extended to cover the entire state since UNICEF had been supporting and implementing  child support programmes on Water,  Sanitation, Health and Education in the state.

Declaring the meeting open, Dr Isiaku Mohammed,  Special Adviser to Governor Inuwa Yahaya on Budget Planning and Development Partner Coordination,  said the governor  had expressed political will to partner   all developmental partners for the betterment of the state and citizens.

He said that the state government was not happy  with  the deplorable condition of health, as well as the poor indices attached to various health sector.

He expressed optimism that Gombe would become a shining state in the North-East sub-region, in spite of the challenges.

In his speech,  Malam Jalo Ali,  Permanent Secretary,  Budget Planning Development Partners Coordination office,  Gombe, said that  children and women were faced with multiple challenges in Gombe.

Represented by Mr Ngalbang Danborno,  the Director, Planning  in the office, said  that UNICEF’s interventions in the state were visible.

He urged  the participants to be attentive and take advantage of the intervention for the welfare of the entire people of the state .

Daybreak reports that the 40  participants were in attendance, drawn from ministries of  Health, Education and  Women affairs..

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