The sum of $280m has been pledged to tackle Children Malnutrition Crisis in 15 countries in the world, NewsSpecNg learnt.
This project will eventually support about 60 percent of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) work in 15 countries hit by the crisis.
The donations were made at the 77th annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) , an event co-hosted by UNICEF, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), and the government of Senegal, which held at the UNICEF headquarters in New York recently.
The Calculated amount pledged since July in response to the Crisis is about $577M, by Governments, philanthropies, and private donors.
The commitments were made as climate-driven drought, conflict, and rising food prices continue to drive up emergency levels of severe wasting in young children worldwide. In 15 countries hardest hit, including in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, a child is being pushed into severe malnutrition every minute, according to a recent analysis by UNICEF.
Speaking at the event, the UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, said that the malnutrition crisis is pushing millions of children to the brink of starvation.
He said “An escalating malnutrition crisis is pushing millions of children to the brink of starvation – and unless we do more, that crisis will become a catastrophe,”
“UNICEF is immensely grateful for the pledges we have received, but we need further unrestricted funding to reach children before it is too late. We cannot stand by and let children die – not when we know how to prevent, detect, and treat severe wasting.”
In response, UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Cristian Munduate, said the organization has scaled up its efforts in 15 countries most affected by the malnutrition crisis.
The countries includes; Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen which are included in an Acceleration Plan calling for US$1.2 billion to help avert a rise in child deaths and mitigate the long-term damage of severe wasting.
He stressed that In Nigeria, UNICEF is meeting the increased demand for nutrition services, treating severe acute malnutrition in children living in fragile conditions, providing core preventive nutrition services across the first 1000 days, from pregnancy through 24 months and building the resilience of the mother-child dyad across all accessible LGAs in Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara States.
“The treatment of child malnutrition cannot stop at only providing nutrition services, with this fund, we are not only reaching approximately 200,000 children with treatment for severe acute malnutrition, but also strengthening the availability of nutrition data for decision makers, strengthening programmes in health facilities and integrating WASH interventions.
“The pledges to UNICEF will help provide services for the early prevention, detection and treatment of child wasting, and expand access to life-saving ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) and other essential nutritious commodities needed during crises.” He added.
