The International Red Cross has strengthened Katsina State’s fight against malnutrition by donating about 4,117 cartons containing 600,500 packs of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).
Secretary of the state branch of the organisation, Mr Bala Abdullahi-Hussaini made this known during a meeting with journalists in Katsina on Monday.
Bala explained that the intervention, carried out through the state’s Primary Health Care Agency, was aimed at supporting the state government’s ongoing nutrition response.
Abdullahi-Hussaini also revealed that Bindawa, Zango and Kankia Local Government Areas (LGAs) had already benefited from the RUTF distribution.
According to him, the donation forms part of the humanitarian organisation’s commitment to strengthening nutrition services across vulnerable communities.
Hussaini noted that the Red Cross, through the Victim Support Funds (VSF) project, had trained communities in Batsari, Jibia, Faskari and Funtua on peacebuilding, community resilience and youth empowerment.
Skills Acquisition
He said skills acquisition equipment was distributed to 850 beneficiaries, including the elderly, persons with special needs, breastfeeding mothers and young people.
“The Red Cross also carried out cholera response operations in Jibia, Batsari, Bindawa and Charanchi, distributing Aquatabs and food to over 600 beneficiaries,” he said.
According to him, the organisation reached no fewer than 500,000 residents across the state with COVID-19 sensitisation campaigns and distributed 500 diphtheria awareness pamphlets.
He further revealed that in 2021, the Red Cross disbursed ₦124 million in cash support across Jibia, Funtua and Batsari, with each beneficiary receiving ₦35,000.
NAN