A diet enrichment scheme by the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Ministry of Public Health is putting smiles on the faces of nursing mothers in the North Region.

On Wednesday, May 11, 2016, a team of journalists accompanying United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF and regional health officials, was in Langui Pionnier village in Tcheboua Subdivision, Benoué Division of the North Region. The village is located about 28 km from Garoua, the regional headquarters.

Todoukou Eliane, 27, the mother of 17-month-old Damba Patrick was busy getting set to feed him with pap. She explained every step of the process to anxious journalists before introducing a 1-gramme portion of VitaMin into a little quantity of the food. “Since June 2015 when I started using VitaMin, Patrick’s appetite has significantly improved,” admitted the smiling woman. Elsewhere in Langui Pionnier village, Doubla Angèle, 32 and mother of four, had a similar story to tell. Her baby, Azami Dawai, is today 25 months old. When the mineral-rich powder was introduced in her diet last June, the changes immediately became visible, said the mother. “She no longer falls sick like the three older brothers and sisters,” Doubla pointed out.

About 5 km further up the road in the little town of Pitoa, Pitoa Subdivision in Benoué Division, lives Mairamou Aminou, the happy mother of a set of female twins. Aged 14 months, Hassanatou and Housenatou have also been on VitaMin administration since 2015. “As a result, I have no problem with their appetite and health,” explained Mairamou whose twins are from her first delivery. Maimouna Bari, Bureau Head for Health, Pitoa Health District, in Benoué Division, said babies eligible to receive the VitaMin powder were those between 6 months and 23 months, not suffering from severe malnutrition.

A 1-gramme sachet of the World Health Organisation recommended product is first introduced into a little portion of baby’s food. After, the rest of the meal is served the baby. VitaMin, which contains vitamins, also has different minerals, making it richer than normal vitamin tablets often given to children in Cameroon. VitaMin stimulates the appetite of the baby before it takes the rest of the food, Maimouna pointed out. Babies above two years are taken off such administration, she clarified.

Bello Louga, Focal Point for Health in the North Regional Delegation for Public Health said like the name suggests, VitaMin contains micro-vitamins and nutrients. It makes up for the lack of micro nutrients in children, thereby protecting them from frequent childhood diseases as well as boasts their weight. This ensures that children up healthily. Each sachet is used after two days, with each nursing mother receiving a packet of 30 1-gramme sachets every two months. The UNICEF-Ministry of Public Health project, with the North Region hosting the one-year pilot phase, is already yielding dividends, Bello proudly notes.