**14. UN CERF supported and coordinated activities of multiple agencies**

The UN CERF had provided funding of US\$1.9 million to WHO and UNICEF to support the coordinated efforts of multiple agencies in combating the epidemic of lead poisoning in Zamfara State [20]. The first two out of seven decontaminated villages (Dareta and Yargalma) have been cleaned before receipt of the funding from the UN CERF. The cleaning was conducted by the Blacksmith Institute Incorporated with the support of the Zamfara State authorities [2]. Cleaning of the other five villages (Tungar-daji, Abare, Duza, Sunke and Tungar-guru), as well as other activities earmarked in this mission, had to wait for the funding from UN CERF.

World Health Organization working with its UN partners has succeeded in securing the funding from the UN CERF to deal with the lead poisoning situation. The fund from the UN CERF has supported a series of activities towards the successes achieved through coordinated efforts of the multiple agencies for a clean, healthy environment and healthy population in Zamfara State [7]. Most achievements recorded with support from the funds include the following:-


The interventions so far have helped to prevent many deaths and thousands of children who were exposed to lead poisoning have been treated. Other children affected with lead continued receiving treatment and contaminated soil continued to be removed from the remaining villages and was replaced with clean soil [5]. With the combine effects of removal from lead exposure (environmental approach) as well as chelating and other supportive therapy (clinical approach), the mortality rate among lead-poisoned children in the seven remediated villages in Zamfara State has dropped from about 40 percent in 2010 to 1 percent in 2011 [7].

Following the coordinated effort of multiple agencies, the Zamfara State Government, and the Federal Government of Nigeria, much success has been achieved in the control of lead poisoning in the State. With the conventional remediation activities carried out, lead poisoning levels in the state is currently very minimal. Many lives have been saved and the environment cleaned within a short span of time. The mission has been a successful one. The continued presence of MSF in the region entails a follow-up to detect any possible resurgence. Our work in the region is currently battling with cholera, measles and other outbreaks as well as malnutrition issues. Most patients in our clinics and those in their homes require proper nutrition as a balanced diet is hard to come by. Most parents in the localities cannot afford it or do not care about it. It has been reported that the poor baseline nutritional status of children in the region is a major contributing factor to how severely they are affected by lead poisoning [8].
