Year: 2025

The Special Assistant to the Kaduna State Governor on School Feeding Programme, Dr Fauziya Buhari-Ado, says the scheme has continued to empower women employed as cooks and supports local farmers.

She also called for stronger humanitarian leadership and strategic partnerships to combat hunger and promote sustainable economic transformation across Africa.

Dr. Fauziya, who made the call while receiving the 2025 4th Humanitarian Bootcamp Award in Nairobi, Kenya, according to a statement she personally signed and released on Friday morning.

In her presentation, titled “Feeding the Future: Leveraging Humanitarian Leadership to Achieve Food Security and Economic Transformation in Africa,” Dr. Buhari-Ado expressed profound appreciation to Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, for his vision, trust, and leadership in championing the Kaduna State School Feeding Programme, a flagship social intervention that provides daily meals to thousands of schoolchildren across the state.

“Governor Uba Sani’s confidence in my capacity to serve has made it possible to impact the lives of children across Kaduna State,” she stated. “Under his leadership, the School Feeding Programme has become a model of inclusive development — improving nutrition, boosting school attendance, empowering women, and supporting local farmers.”

She described the initiative as a holistic approach that strengthens multiple sectors of the economy, noting that every meal served goes beyond nourishment to symbolise hope, care, and opportunity for the next generation.

“Each meal we provide is not just food; it is a bridge to learning, a shield against poverty, and a promise that we see these children, we care for them, and we will not abandon them,” Dr. Buhari-Ado said. “Feeding our children is not charity — it is nation-building.”

She further stressed that food security must be viewed as a strategic pillar of Africa’s social and economic development, adding that eradicating hunger is essential to ensuring stability, productivity, and peace across the continent.

Dr. Buhari-Ado also paid tribute to outstanding women leaders who have played pivotal roles in advancing humanitarian and leadership development across Africa. She commended Dr. Martina Nentawe Yilwatda, Patron of the Women’s Leadership Network, for her foresight and mentorship, and Mrs. Deborah Hornecker, the Network’s founder, for her resilience and commitment to women’s empowerment.

“The Women’s Leadership Network represents a powerful platform for collaboration and transformation,” she noted. “It brings together professional women from diverse sectors to drive inclusion, social impact, and leadership development across communities.”

In her closing remarks, Dr. Buhari-Ado urged governments, development partners, civil society organizations, and the private sector to work collectively to end hunger in Africa.

“When the day comes that no African child — and no African adult — goes to bed hungry, we will know that we have truly fed the future — not through power, but through humanity, compassion, and love,” she concluded.

The school feeding programme in Kaduna state is funded annually with over N4bn, according to data by the state government.

The state also noted that it feeds over 730,000 pupils and has over 7,000 cooks employed to prepare meals in a total of 3,400 schools.

The scheme aims to increase enrollment, support the local economy, and improve the nutrition of pupils.

Similarly, on October 3, 2025, President Bola Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to reducing child malnutrition and improving school enrolment through the Renewed Hope Mo’Feed Project, a school feeding and empowerment initiative designed to reach over 600,000 vulnerable Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on School Feeding, Dr. Yetunde Adeniji, who represented the President, said this at the official launch of the project in Lagos.

She said the initiative aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda by tackling food insecurity, poverty, and gaps in education.

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark World Mental Health Day, international medical organisation, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières has drawn attention to the hidden mental health impact of child malnutrition across northern Nigeria, calling for an integrated approach that treats both body and mind.

According to MSF, the burden of malnutrition in the region has reached alarming levels. In 2024 alone, over 300,000 malnourished children were treated in the organisation’s facilities across Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Bauchi, Borno, and Sokoto states — a 25 per cent increase from the previous year.

Beyond the visible physical toll, MSF says malnutrition leaves deep psychological scars on children and their caregivers.

“Malnutrition doesn’t just affect the child physically,” explained Kauna Hope Bako, MSF’s Mental Health Supervisor in Bauchi.

“It has psychological, emotional, and behavioural implications”, he added.

Bako noted that malnourished children often become irritable, withdrawn, or unresponsive, struggling to meet developmental milestones such as walking and talking.

“The child feels detached, sad that he cannot play like others. He’s in pain—not just from hunger, but from the infections that come with it,” she added.

The link between malnutrition and mental health, according to MSF, is two-way. Emotional neglect, stress, or abuse can contribute to malnutrition, while poor nutrition can, in turn, worsen psychological distress. “They’re two sides of the same coin,” Bako said.

To tackle this, MSF has introduced mental health support in its 12 inpatient and over 30 outpatient feeding centres across northern Nigeria. Each centre features a playroom where daily mental health sessions are held for children and their caregivers. These include psycho-stimulation therapy, stress management training, support groups, recreational sessions, and individual counselling.

Recognising that caregivers also bear a heavy emotional burden, Bako said:

“If the mother is not able to manage her own stress, it may unconsciously spill over to the child. That’s why we also care for caregivers.”

MSF has also begun training all its medical staff—doctors, nurses, and support workers—in psychological first aid and effective communication.

“Communication is sometimes treatment,” Bako observed. “When the mother feels listened to, and the child feels safe, healing has already begun.”

Between January and June 2025, MSF admitted 32,940 severely malnourished children to inpatient centres and 136,255 to outpatient centres in northern Nigeria. During the same period, its teams conducted 30,880 mental health sessions.

In Bauchi alone, over 113,000 children and caregivers have received psychological support since 2024.

Bako said the integrated approach has shown encouraging results, including faster recovery and stronger emotional resilience among families.

She said, “It’s not just about treating the disease.

“It’s about restoring hope, dignity, and the bond that helps families heal.”

As MSF marks World Mental Health Day 2025, the organisation reaffirmed its commitment to providing holistic care to vulnerable families in crisis-affected regions.

“Every child deserves not just to survive, but to thrive—body and mind,” MSF stated.