# UNICEF child nutrition expansion in Nigeria

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/unicef-child-nutrition-expansion-in-nigeria
> Updated: 2026-08-03T17:01:52.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 3.

In late July 2026 UNICEF rolled out major child‑nutrition initiatives across several Nigerian states. The first effort, announced on 21 July, combined a First 1,000 Days programme in Gombe State with a Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week in Lagos State. Both initiatives targeted the critical period from conception to a child’s second birthday, promoting exclusive breastfeeding, micronutrient supplementation, vitamin A distribution, deworming, and malnutrition screening. Partnerships involved state governments, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑Day Saints, traditional and faith‑based groups, and civil‑society organisations, aligning with Nigeria’s national Nutrition 774 Initiative.

Three days later, on 24 July, Adamawa State launched its own UNICEF‑backed First 1,000 Days of Life Nutrition Project in Yola, aiming to curb a 48.6 % stunting rate by strengthening nutrition services and community participation.

Building on those July launches, on 3 August UNICEF partnered with the governments of Kaduna and Bayelsa to start additional First 1,000 Days programmes. Kaduna’s Social and Behaviour Change Initiative for Nutrition focuses on exclusive breastfeeding and broader maternal‑child‑adolescent health, while Bayelsa inaugurated a one‑year, N280 million project targeting pregnant women and children under two, co‑funded by the state, UNICEF and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑Day Saints. Together, the successive roll‑outs illustrate an expanding, coordinated effort to reduce child malnutrition across Nigeria’s states.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-03: UNICEF launches first 1,000 days nutrition initiatives in Nigeria's Kaduna and Bayelsa states

UNICEF partnered with Kaduna and Bayelsa state governments to launch nutrition programmes for the first 1,000 days, promoting exclusive breastfeeding and funding a N280 million project to curb malnutrition.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/unicef-launches-first-1000-days-nutrition-initiatives-in-nigerias-kaduna-and-bayelsa-states

### 2026-07-24: Adamawa State launches UNICEF-backed First 1,000 Days nutrition project

Adamawa State, with UNICEF and the LDS Church, launched a First 1,000 Days nutrition program to combat child malnutrition and reduce stunting and mortality in the region.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/adamawa-state-launches-unicef-backed-first-1000-days-nutrition-project

### 2026-07-21: UNICEF expands child nutrition programmes in Gombe and Lagos states, Nigeria

UNICEF launches child‑nutrition drives in Gombe and Lagos, targeting early childhood nutrition and aiming to reach three million children under five in Lagos.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/unicef-expands-child-nutrition-programmes-in-gombe-and-lagos-states-nigeria

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Cite as: UNICEF child nutrition expansion in Nigeria. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/unicef-child-nutrition-expansion-in-nigeria