One in Four Young Lives at Risk from Malnutrition in Western Chad
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Action Against Hunger Uncovers Alarming Rates of Child Acute Malnutrition in Food Insecure Region of Sahel
Copyright S.Hauenstein Swan
25 August 2010 | N’DJAMENA, CHAD — One out of every four children under five suffers from acute malnutrition in the Sahel region of Western Chad, according to nutrition surveys carried out by international humanitarian organisation Action Against Hunger | ACF International. The organisation has scaled up its programmes to treat thousands of malnourished children with the condition and urges long-term preventative measures to strengthen local health systems.
The surveys* conducted in collaboration with the Chadian Ministry of Health, UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) in the regions of Mao, Nokou and Bahr El Ghazal over the past two months reveal child acute malnutrition rates between 21 and 28% — well in excess of the World Health Organisation’s emergency threshold of 15%. These acute malnutrition rates are even higher than in neighbouring Niger, also facing a severe food crisis affecting over seven million people.
Action Against Hunger is supporting 33 nutrition centres in both Kanem and in Bahr El Ghazal and is working with the Chadian Ministry of Health to extend its treatment programmes to an additional 10 health centres in areas with soaring malnutrition rates. These programmes are supported by UKaid from DFID and ECHO.
“This expansion should significantly increase the accessibility and quality of care for malnourished children,” said Jean-François Carémel, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Chad. “However, at the moment, the needs far outstrip the resources available to diagnose and treat all the children. In addition we are facing an extensive crisis that not only requires urgent action, but also a sustained approach to prevent future recurrences.” said Carémel.
While Chad’s Sahelian region frequently experiences acute malnutrition rates exceeding 20% during the “hunger gap”—a period of routine scarcity between harvests—this year has been particularly harsh. Insufficient rainfall over the past three years has helped to push nearly two-thirds of households into food insecurity. Problems with access to arable land, water and health care also contribute to the skyrocketing malnutrition rates.
Action Against Hunger is calling for both emergency assistance to save the lives of children suffering from life-threatening malnutrition and long-term investments aimed at bolstering the country’s health care system — currently crippled by insufficient funding, medicine, nurses, and administrative staff — and at strengthening the country’s resilience to food shocks.
*The nutrition surveys were funded by UKAid from the Department for International Development (DFID) and the European Commission Humanitarian Aid & Civil Protection (ECHO).
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