Somali Observatory for Humanitarian Affairs It is a specialized, independent, non-profit media network that observes and follows up the Somali humanitarian scene
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MOGADISHU — A severe shortage of specialized therapeutic food for severely malnourished children is threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands in Somalia and other parts of Africa, a recent report from the aid group Save the Children, and reported by Reuters, has warned. The organization states that critical aid cuts are the cause of the dwindling supplies.
According to Save the Children, a UK-based charity, supplies of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), which includes high-energy biscuits and peanut-based pastes, are at dangerously low levels in Somalia, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Sudan. These vital provisions are expected to be depleted within the next three months.
“At a time when global hunger is skyrocketing, the funding that could save children’s lives has been cut,” said Yvonne Arunga, Save the Children’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, in the report, which was sourced by Reuters.
The charity noted that some clinics in the affected countries are already resorting to less effective treatments.
In Somalia, where millions are grappling with severe food insecurity, the shortage represents a significant setback to efforts to combat malnutrition.
The crisis threatens to reverse progress made in recent years, according to the aid group. Save the Children projects that global funding cuts will prevent 15.6 million people in 18 countries from receiving nutritional treatment this year, including 2.3 million severely malnourished children
