Mothers and babies gather for life-saving health services
Hundreds of mothers, caregivers and their children turned out at the Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Secretariat for the official flag-off of the 2026 first round of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW). The week-long campaign is designed to provide essential health and nutrition services, including Vitamin A supplementation, deworming, growth monitoring and micronutrient support for pregnant women.
The Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, alongside UNICEF Lagos Chief of Office, Celine Lafoucrière, engaged with mothers and children during the event. UNICEF reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the campaign by supplying Vitamin A and micronutrient supplements while working with the state to ensure every eligible child is reached.
Government officials, development partners and health stakeholders held babies as a symbolic demonstration of their shared commitment to improving maternal and child health. Speakers stressed the need to sustain investment in child nutrition and ensure the second round of MNCHW is conducted before the end of November 2026 to reach every eligible child.
A UNICEF representative places an identification tag on a child during the health outreach, highlighting the campaign’s focus on ensuring no child is left behind. Throughout the week, health workers will screen children for malnutrition, administer Vitamin A, provide deworming tablets and deliver other life-saving interventions to improve child survival and development across Lagos State.
Editing by Tina Oyinsan