Malnutrition Crisis in Chad Threatens Thousands of Young Lives

4 June 2010 - Six months ago, a survey conducted by Action Against Hunger in the region of Bahr el Ghazal, in western Chad, showed that 27 percent of the 687 under five children surveyed were malnourished, almost double the emergency threshold set by the World Health Organisation at 15 percent.  Jean-François Carémel, Country Director for Action Against Hunger, talks to us about the current situation on the ground. 

What is the current situation in the region? 

Food security indicators confirm the severity of the crisis in Bahr el Ghazal. A number of factors are quite troubling:  grain production has fallen by 34%; the fodder deficit has reached an estimated 60% which means that nomads have no food to sustain their animals, and food prices have risen dramatically, restricting families’ access to food. 

The price of millet is on average 25% more than five years ago, which together with a drop in the selling price of livestock is causing a deterioration of the terms of trade. In addition, the fall of the euro is pushing up prices of all imported grains making it ever harder for families to access food. 

What effect is this heightened food insecurity having on the population?

The consequences are worrying to say the least: an estimated 2 million people are suffering from food insecurity and 100,000 children are at risk of severe malnutrition. Without treatment, these children are at imminent risk of dying. In preparation for a more prolonged hunger gap, families are forced to resort to harsh strategies such as selling off their productive assets and reducing the quantity and quality of meals. Many fathers have no choice but to leave their families behind to look for work in larger towns and many herders are migrating in search for greener pastures. 

In the extremely precarious environment of the Sahel region, these trends intensify competition over the already sensitive issues of access to land and water. The situation risks further deteriorating with the onset of the rainy season. We are expecting an outbreak of illnesses such as malaria and diarrhoea which will have a knock on effect on malnutrition amongst young children. 

What is Action Against Hunger doing to address this crisis?

Action Against Hunger has launched an emergency intervention to prevent and treat malnutrition in young children. As the only organisation present in this area, we are treating malnourished children and working in close collaboration with communities to mitigate the effects of the crisis.

Malnutrition is often overlooked, despite being a life-threatening condition. We therefore work with local health centres to develop their capacities.  We aim to treat 13,000 malnourished children over the next few months in this region alone.  

With hardly any other humanitarian organisations present in this forgotten area of the world the crisis risks reaching catastrophic levels. People here in Chad urgently need help. 

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