UNICEF: Battling hunger and malnutrition in Ethiopia

EAST HARERGHE, Ethiopia, 19 May 2008—Ibro Bekeri Yusuf's daughter Khesna, age five, is severely malnourished. He has carried her to the UNICEF-supported therapeutic feeding unit at Bissidimo Hospital so that she can receive life-saving treatment such as therapeutic milk.

Drought and soaring food prices are placing thousands of Ethiopian families under tremendous strain. The small rains which in normal years allow farmers to produce a second crop, failed this year.

Ethiopia is no stranger to food insecurity. Because of this, in 2004, the Government, in partnership with the World Food Programme and UNICEF, launched the Enhanced Outreach Strategy (EOS) -- a targeted supplementary food programme for child survival in Ethiopia.

Currently, UNICEF is facing a critical shortfall in the supply of therapeutic foods used to treat children with severe acute malnutrition like Khesna. More than 10 million dollars is required immediately to respond to the emergency needs of children and women.

Khesna is one of the lucky ones. At Bissidimo Hospital she is receiving treatment that should have her back to normal in a few weeks. As the drought and food crisis continues, however, UNICEF will require the support of donors to save the lives of more children.

To read the full story, visit: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ethiopia_43993.html

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• UNICEF
• Ethiopia
• nutrition
• children
• World
• Food
• Programme