RUTF: The treatment helping children recover from malnutrition in Palma
"Treatment with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is very important because it allows us to restore the child's health.”
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Palma, Cabo Delgado - At Palma Health Centre in Cabo Delgado, Paula Gáspar begins each day with a clear purpose: helping children recover from malnutrition.
Paula, 39, has worked in nutrition for more than five years. For her, every child who improves is a reminder of why the work matters.
"Watching a child recover is one of the greatest rewards of my job," she says.
A serious threat to children's lives
In Palma, many families face challenges in providing enough nutritious food for their children. Severe acute malnutrition is not only a diagnosis. Without timely treatment, it can become life-threatening.
Each month, Paula supports around 10 children with severe acute malnutrition. Some arrive weak and fragile. Others are already in critical condition and need close medical follow-up.
A simple treatment with powerful results
One of the most important tools in this response is ready-to-use therapeutic food, known as RUTF. Many mothers refer to it as "chocolate" because of its appearance and taste.
RUTF is used to treat children with severe acute malnutrition who can be cared for at home. For more severe cases, children may also need therapeutic milk and intensive clinical follow-up.
"With this treatment, we are able to restore the child's health," Paula explains.
The impact goes beyond the health centre. Treatment continues at home, where mothers and caregivers learn how to give RUTF correctly, return for consultations and improve feeding practices with the food available to them.
Each recovery is a new life opportunity for a child. We follow each child's progress. We explain how to administer the treatment, reinforce the importance of consultations and advise families on nutrition and care.
Support that continues beyond treatment
Paula and her team closely follow each child's progress. They explain how to administer the treatment, reinforce the importance of consultations and advise families on nutrition and care.
For many families, this support is critical. Even when caregivers understand what their children need, poverty can make it difficult to provide enough diverse and nutritious food.
"Many families are unable to guarantee adequate food. Even when we explain what to do, they are not always able to buy food," says Paula.
In this context, treatment becomes a bridge between vulnerability and recovery. It gives children a chance to regain strength while families receive the guidance they need to continue caring for them.
A response that saves lives
UNICEF is supporting the treatment of severe acute malnutrition in Cabo Delgado in partnership with the Government of Mozambique, with the generous support of the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).
This support helps ensure the availability of therapeutic foods, continuity of treatment and regular monitoring for children who need urgent nutrition care.
"Each recovery is a new life opportunity for a child," Paula says.
For children in Palma, recovery can begin with a small sachet of RUTF, careful follow-up and the commitment of health workers like Paula. In the middle of hardship, that treatment is helping children regain their health and giving families renewed hope.
