MaximsNewsNetwork: SOMALIA HUNGRY CHILDREN: UNICEF

MaximsNewsNetwork: 07 December 2009 - UNICEF: UNICEF scales up its support to therapeutic feeding programs in Somalia where one in every five children is malnourished and one in 20 children suffers from severe malnutrition, a life-threatening condition if appropriate treatment is not provided.

At the outpatient therapeutic clinic in Hargeisa, northwest Somalia, severely malnourished children received life-saving treatment and care.
Health workers at this clinic provide children with check-ups and medical treatment in addition to rations of Plumpy'nut- a special therapeutic food for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition. Progress of treatment is monitored once a week until the child is cured.
In Somalia, one in every five children is malnourished. One in 20 children suffers from severe malnutrition, a life-threatening condition if appropriate treatment is not provided.

In response to this alarming situation, UNICEF scaled up its support to therapeutic feeding programmes such as this from 235 facilities during 2008 to 380 by late 2009.
Mahada is six-months-old and severely malnourished. Her mother says that the child has been suffering from vomiting, fever and diarrhea. Mahada is malnourished.
SOUNDIBTE (Somali) Derer Muse, mother of seven:
My husband had a stroke two years ago and he has been paralyzed since then. I earn money by washing peoples clothes but I cant provide enough food with what I make. My family can only have one meal a day.
Conflict, food insecurity, poor living conditions, and lack of safe water are major causes of malnutrition among Somali children.
Extremely low levels of exclusive breast-feeding during the first six months of the infants life is also a key factor.
UNICEF is working with community-based partners to advocate for the life-saving effects of breastfeeding. Volunteers of the local NGO Tabantabo go house to house in displaced communities to talk to pregnant women and new mothers.

SOUNDBITE (English) Mostafa Jama, Executive Director, NGO Tabantabo:
At the beginning it was difficult, even the team had difficulties to do home visiting. We help them and we support them. So we are very happy now when we evaluate, you can see how the mothers changed their behaviour and attitude about breastfeeding.

Since December of last year, UNICEF and partners have also been distributing a new ready-to-use-food, Plumpydoz, which is rich with minerals and nutrients to prevent malnutrition among vulnerable children. More than 130,000 young children in Somalia benefited from this intervention during 2009.

Despite challenging security conditions in Somalia, UNICEFs nutrition programme has greatly expanded to support prevention and treatment of malnutrition to help Somali children survive and develop.


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• Somalia
• malnourished children
• hunger
• UNICEF
• Mostafa Jama
• NGO Tabantabo
• Plumpydoz
• mothers
• MaximsNews Network