(ANSA) – ROME, OCTOBER 15 – Around 2 million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition risk dying due to a lack of funds to purchase therapeutic foods. The alarm was raised by Unicef, which made an appeal to finance the ‘No Time to Waste’ program created in 2022 to respond to the food and nutritional crisis in the world with at least 165 million dollars.
“Over the past 2 years, an unprecedented global response has expanded nutrition programs and curbed child wasting and associated mortality in countries severely affected by conflict, climate and economic shocks and the resulting maternal nutrition crisis -childhood,” said UNICEF Child Nutrition and Development Program Director Victor Aguayo. “But urgent action is needed now to save the lives of nearly two million children who are fighting this silent killer.”
At greatest risk, according to the agency, are children in 12 countries: in Mali, Nigeria, Niger and Chad, food supplies have run out or are about to run out, while in Cameroon, Pakistan, Sudan, Madagascar, South Sudan, Kenya, the Republic Democratic Congo and Uganda supplies could run out by mid-2025.
“UNICEF has repeatedly warned that in the absence of sustainable prevention strategies and sustained funding, there would be shortages of ready-to-use therapeutic food supplies in several countries, with the Sahel hardest hit by funding shortages,” Aguayo added. “Now we are seeing this phenomenon.” (HANDLE).