Beri, A Local NGO Levy Its Members To Help Women Fight Malnutrition In North Eastern Nigeria

Haruna Mohammed Salisu

Nigeria’s north eastern region comprising of six states are hit by the worst food crisis in decades. The dreaded Boko Haram sect is the major cause. UNICEF warns that “an estimated 49,000 children – almost 1 in 5 – will die if they are not reached with treatment”.

The country’s Federal Ministry of Health recently says “one in every two child death in Nigeria is from malnutrition, with over 1, 219 children dying daily”.

A local Non-Governmental Organisation, Better Life Restoration Initiative (BERI) in an effort to reduce the effects of malnutrition, is levying its members to teach women how to prepare Nutri-7 baby formula a home- made fortified blended food that helps reduce malnutrition and enrich children’s diet.

The powder is made from cheap locally harnessed ingredients. Nkem Ogbonna is the founder of the NGO “Nutri-7 is just like the fortified blended food that are used by the World Food Programme (WFP) in combating malnutrition. “In BERI, we believe that the solution to our problems lie within us, malnutrition can be solved locally through cheap produced cereals like soya beans, corns, legumes, vegetable oil etc”.

Mr. Ogbonna says although BERI has not received grant from any national or international donors and philanthropists, members of the organisation took it upon themselves to contribute money and buy the ingredients needed to teach women how to produce Nutri-7 baby formula. “We levy our members to do this because we strongly believe in saving lives; you must not wait for grants to save innocent children from the claws of malnutrition”.

So far, the NGO has trained over two hundred women, most of whom are concentrated at various IDPs camps in the north east. Amina Aliyu, is a trainee who benefitted from BERI’s training and is now helping her fellow IDPs in formulating and preparing the formula.

A mother of four, Amina who hails from Buni-Yadi in the north eastern state of Yobe and widowed by Boko Haram was full of appreciation of the local NGO. She told this medium that BERI has saved her two year old Bukar who “would have died if not for their (referring to BERI) intervention”.

Experts believe that the most effective way of fighting malnutrition is by training the mothers on how to prevent and combat the menace using locally sourced foods, arguing that the idea of waiting for relief materials which in most cases are unavailable when they are needed is no longer sustainable.

Amidst the crisis of food shortages in the region, there were several reports of diversion of relief materials by corrupt government officials, but the local NGO despite the current economic recession in the country is determined to continue levying its members in doing what the founder tagged “life-saving venture” aimed at helping the malnourished children in the region.