Thriving on Lifesaving Peanut Pastes

For businessmen and women, Bargo, a community in northeast Nigeria is known more for its large cattle market and distant location. Every fortnight the ancient town comes alive with the hustle and bustle of buying and selling. But for caregivers and mothers with children under five, Bargo is a community where wellness and recovery from acute malnutrition is possible.

Hadiza Dikko, 25, and a mother of four knows this. Last week, she left Kaule, her community which is about 60 kilometers away, to attend the UNICEF-supported nutrition clinic in Bargo. “Amina is my last child; she is nine months old. I brought her here last week when she took ill. She had diarrhoea. She has never been a chubby baby, but I was alarmed at the rate of weight loss. She also had a fever.

“There is a clinic in Kaule that I first visited but Amina’s fever could not be controlled. There was no improvement. I was then given a referral to come here, and this is my second visit. When we arrived here last week, she was assessed and placed on peanut paste. She is getting better and stronger by the day,’’ says Hadiza.

On admission, Amina weighed only eight kilogrammes and measured 11.5cm on the mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) tape. She looked frail and irritable. 

After enrolling her on the nutrition programme, health workers at the facility gave her mother sachets of the ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) to aid her recovery. Born into protracted armed conflict which has caused multiple displacement and loss of livelihood opportunities, Amina is an example of how armed conflict in Nigeria’s northeast has affected children.  In the region, over 4.5 million people need humanitarian assistance, while 2.5 million children are at risk of acute malnutrition. Without the lifesaving (RUTF), many will not survive the deadly grip of malnutrition. 

UNICEF, with funding from the Global Affairs for Canada (GAC) as well as the Government of Germany/Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW is providing nutrition support for children who live in hard-to-reach settlements and communities affected by conflict. 

In addition to RUTF, UNICEF supplies nutrition clinics in communities like Bargo with essential drugs and in collaboration with government, provides training for health workers.

During her second visit, Amina’s weight increased to 12 kilogrammes while her MUAC reading improved to 11.9 cm, a remarkable change from her first visit.

“Amina has improved, all thanks to God,’’ says Hadiza with a smile. “We will still come back next week until she gets well fully. I am hopeful because the stooling has stopped and she now plays with her elder ones,’’ adds Hadiza.