USAID-BHA provides therapeutic food and nutrition supplies for treatment of children suffering from the most severe form of wasting

27 April 2022
Handover of RUTF
UNICEFSouthSudan/Avelino
Courtney Cox, Acting Office Director, USAID’s Office for Humanitarian Assistance hands over RUTF to Jesper Moller, UNICEF Rep a.i.

Juba, South Sudan, 27 April 2022 – Yesterday, 69,120 cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) were handed over by USAID to UNICEF.

The contribution from USAID comes timely as South Sudan faces the highest levels of malnutrition among children in a decade, with 1.34 million children expected to suffer from wasting in 2022.

With the support of USAID, UNICEF and partners will be able to ensure screening for malnutrition of 2.5 million children and provide those found severely wasted with adequate assistance.

This Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is a special product designed to treat children who are suffering from severe wasting. More than 303,000 children in South Sudan will need care for severe wasting in 2022.

This valued partnership will allow UNICEF to treat approximately 70,000 children this year. Yesterday's handover of RUTF was part of USAID’s support to UNICEF’s nutrition programme for 2022.

“We are happy to officially hand over to you these supplies of ready-to-use therapeutic food that will be used to support children and families suffering from hunger across South Sudan,” said Courtney Cox, Acting Office Director, USAID’s Office for Humanitarian Assistance.

The cartons of therapeutic food handed over today will be dispatched quickly throughout the country to more than 1,200 nutrition centres where UNICEF and partners are supporting treatment of severely wasted children.

Severe wasting is a very serious condition among children under five. If untreated it can lead to more health complications. It can kill a child as the body doesn’t have the strength and the immunity to fight illnesses such as malaria, diarrheal diseases, and pneumonia.

The battle against malnutrition must begin with prevention. Thanks to the funding of USAID, more than one million mothers, fathers, and caregivers of children below 24 months will benefit from Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition Counselling, giving them the necessary knowledge and skills to prevent their children from falling into malnutrition.

“UNICEF thanks USAID-BHA for the continued partnership and the shared commitment and drive to save the lives of the most vulnerable children in South Sudan. UNICEF is working with nutrition partners in the country to shift the emphasis from treatment of malnutrition to prevention,” said Jesper Moller, UNICEF South Sudan Representative a.i.

Media contacts

Rabindra Giri
Communication Specialist
Tel: +211926900009

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