The Cross River State Government has launched the First 1,000 Days of Life Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Campaign to promote proper nutrition, breastfeeding and healthy child development across the state.
The campaign, launched in Calabar as part of activities marking the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week, is aimed at changing key behaviours and practices affecting mothers and children from conception to a child’s second birthday.
Speaking at the event, the Wife of the Governor of Cross River State, Bishop Eyoanwan Bassey Otu, who officially launched the campaign, said the first 1,000 days represented the foundation for every child’s future.
She explained that the period comprised the 270 days of pregnancy and the 730 days from birth to a child’s second birthday, stressing that what happened during the period could have lifelong consequences.
According to her, adequate nutrition, love and protection during the first 1,000 days would enable children to thrive, while failure to provide these could expose them to poor learning outcomes and ill health.
She urged pregnant women to eat well, attend antenatal care regularly and sleep under treated mosquito nets as part of measures to protect their health and that of their unborn babies.
The governor’s wife also called on mothers to initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth and exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months without giving them water, herbal mixtures or pap.
She appealed to husbands, mothers-in-law, traditional rulers and other family members to support nursing mothers, particularly by helping with household chores and avoiding practices that could interfere with exclusive breastfeeding.
She said breast milk was clean, safe, free and contained the nutrients and water required by babies during the first six months of life.
The governor’s wife pledged to partner with the Cross River State Ministry of Health, Primary Health Care Development Agency and UNICEF to take the campaign to all 18 local government areas, markets, churches, mosques and villages.
She said the campaign was a future-building initiative, stressing that a well-fed and properly nourished child would have a better foundation to contribute meaningfully to the development of Cross River State.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Vivien Mesembe, called on stakeholders to renew their commitment to supporting mothers to breastfeed successfully.
Mesembe said every child in the state, irrespective of where he or she was born, deserved access to proper nutrition, adding that the fight against malnutrition required collective action.
She said, “Nutrition is everybody’s business. It is not just for health workers alone. Our farmers are involved, our teachers are involved, our traditional rulers are involved, our religious leaders are involved, our mothers, our fathers, our partners—we all have a role to play.”
According to her, the newly launched SBCC materials would help take appropriate nutrition messages to families from conception through the child’s second birthday, a period she described as critical to the child’s future.
Mesembe said breastfeeding was one of the most powerful and cost-effective ways of saving lives and building a healthier future, noting that proper maternal nutrition, early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for six months and appropriate complementary feeding could help prevent malnutrition.
She noted that Cross River continued to face malnutrition challenges, adding that the state had also benefited from the National Community Food Bank Project, which commenced the monthly distribution of food items to malnourished children, as well as pregnant and lactating women.
In a goodwill message, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Enugu Field Office, Dr Ngozi Onuora, represented by the State Nutrition Facilitator, Blessing Eberechukwu, described the launch of the SBCC materials as an important step towards creating awareness and promoting positive nutrition practices.
Onuora commended the state government and its health partners for their commitment to improving maternal and child nutrition, urging stakeholders to ensure that the campaign messages reached communities and households.
The State Coordinator of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Mr Christian Okechukwu, represented by the Zonal Technical Officer, Mr Offiong Edem, said the first 1,000 days were critical because about 80 per cent of brain development occurred during the period.
Okechukwu stressed the importance of antenatal care, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding alongside appropriate complementary feeding, assuring that NPHCDA would continue supporting programmes aimed at improving child nutrition and strengthening the nation’s human capital.
