United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that at least 573,000 children under five are at risk of suffering from malnutrition in Malawi.
Development Diaries reports that acute food insecurity compounded by recurrent climate shocks, preventable disease outbreaks, economic instability, and chronic underfunding in the social sectors threatens to reverse past gains made in reducing chronic malnutrition.
It is understood that Malawi is still grappling with the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy in March, with 659,000 people currently internally displaced, including many children.
Meanwhile, an ongoing cholera outbreak in the country has already claimed 1,759 lives.
‘The prospect of having over half a million children suffering from malnutrition is unacceptable. Without an immediate response, the impact on these vulnerable children will be deadly’, UNICEF Country Representative, Gianfranco Rotigliano, said in a statement.
The burden of malnutrition among children in Malawi has increased dramatically in recent months, according to a new Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal released by UNICEF.
In 2023, it is estimated that over 62,000 children, aged between six and 59 months, are at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), often called wasting.
To respond to the urgent needs of 6.5 million people, including 3.3 million children, UNICEF needs U.S.$52.4 to U.S.$87.7 million.
The funding, it is understood, will be used to meet priority needs, such as ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) for treating severe acute malnutrition, access to safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene items, health, nutrition, education, child protection services, and cash transfer schemes.
‘Without increased support, poor and vulnerable households with children will be left without access to basic services, essential supplies, and social assistance’, Rotigliano added.
Development Diaries calls on the Ministry of Health in Malawi to invest in long-term solutions by strengthening its health systems and building resilience within communities to handle recurring outbreaks and humanitarian emergencies better.
Photo source: UNICEF
