30 years of hope in one small packet
Your extra gift today can help children facing severe malnutrition receive therapeutic food, nutrition care and support to recover and grow.
Thank you for being part of our Wira untuk Kanak-kanak community. Your kindness means so much, especially for children who need care, protection and hope in their most difficult moments.
Today, I'd like to share the story of one small packet that has changed what is possible for children facing severe malnutrition.
Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), may look small. But for a child who is extremely thin, weak and vulnerable to illness, this small packet can be life-saving.
Children who are extremely thin for their height have severe wasting. Their immune systems become weak, making ordinary childhood illnesses much more dangerous. Their risk of dying increases by 12 times compared with well-nourished children.
But with timely treatment, many children will recover.
RUTF or Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food helped change the way children are treated. It can be eaten straight from the packet, without cooking, refrigeration or clean water. This means children can receive treatment closer to home, alongside medical care, counselling and follow-up support.
That is why we call it a Packet of Hope.
For 30 years, RUTF has helped fuel recovery for millions of children. Between 2003 and 2025, UNICEF procured and delivered 8.7 billion sachets globally.
Thirty years on, RUTF continues to save lives, with nearly 90 per cent of children treated for severe acute malnutrition recovering.
Beyond every packet is more than a treatment. There is a child, a family and a moment of hope.
RUTF is part of a wider nutrition response that includes screening, treatment, medical care, counselling and follow-up support.
In 2025, UNICEF screened 255 million children globally for wasting and treated more than 9 million affected children.
Here are just a few examples of how that support changes lives.
Sudan: Reaching children with treatment
7-month-old Zahara was enrolled in a UNICEF-supported nutrition programme after she was found to be severely malnourished.
Her mother, Hadiga, brought her to the Al Jubarab primary health care facility because she was worried Zahara was too thin.
There, Zahara received treatment, including RUTF, to help her recover.
Yemen: Recovery with continued care
9-month-old Hamad recently recovered from severe acute malnutrition with complications after treatment at a UNICEF-supported Therapeutic Feeding Centre.
After treatment, he continued weekly outpatient visits to be measured and receive RUTF.
This follow-up care helps health workers track his recovery and support caregivers with feeding guidance.
Afghanistan: Treatment closer to home
18-month-old Hania was admitted to hospital after months of illness.
After receiving treatment, including RUTF, Hania began improving and gained weight within a week.
For her mother, Zahra, RUTF made treatment easier because it could be given at home. “This food saves children’s lives,” she said.
But far too many children are still waiting for the treatment they urgently need.
Today, 42.8 million children are affected by wasting. Of these, 12.2 million children are suffering from severe wasting, the deadliest form.
The need remains urgent. In 2026, UNICEF aims to provide life-saving treatment for 9.2 million children suffering from severe wasting through its humanitarian response.
Conflict, climate shocks, disease outbreaks and food shortages continue to put children at risk of malnutrition. But wasting does not only happen in emergencies. Many children are also affected in communities where poverty, limited access to nutritious food, poor sanitation and weak health services make it harder for families to keep children healthy.
That is why early screening and treatment are so important.
Children like Mujahid are identified, screened and referred to UNICEF-supported nutrition programmes for early treatment.
With therapeutic food, counselling and follow-up care, children have a better chance to recover and grow stronger.
After 30 years, RUTF remains a critical treatment for children with severe wasting. But a Packet of Hope can only reach a child if it is available when and where it is needed.
Your extra gift today can help UNICEF deliver therapeutic food, nutrition screening, counselling, follow-up care and other essential nutrition support to children facing malnutrition.
Please donate today and help more children receive the care they need to survive, recover and grow.
Together, we can help more children grow healthy and strong.
Thank you for standing with children.
for every child, nutrition
P.S. A small packet can help make a life-saving difference. Please make a special gift today to help send therapeutic food, nutrition care and support to children who need it most.
