UNICEF airlifts 10 tons of therapeutic food to Viet Nam for malnourished children

Ha Noi (VIET NAM), 27 November 2020 – 10 tons of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) has arrived in Ha Noi Noi Bai International Airport and will be distributed as part of UNICEF’s emergency response to meet the urgent needs of severely malnourished children in the flood and storm-stricken region of central Viet Nam.

An estimated 10,000 children under 5 years old in nine affected provinces are suffering from acute malnutrition at this time, and their situation could further deteriorate with health-care services disrupted across the region.

“There’s no time to lose to get therapeutic food to the frontline health-care workers in Communes to treat children suffering from malnutrition,” said Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative to Viet Nam.

“These acutely malnourished children cannot wait. With the downturn caused by COVID 19, many families in this region were already struggling to provide 3 nutritious meals a day, and the flooding has dramatically compounded their situation.”

In response to the devastating flood emergency in central Viet Nam, UNICEF is providing life-saving relief to vulnerable children and women in the affected areas. UNICEF is ordering a total of 60 tons of RUTF to be shipped to Viet Nam in the coming weeks from its Supply Division in Copenhagen. The RUTF meets international standards and is in the form of a soft biscuit that provides all the energy and micro-nutrients required for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition.

The life-saving therapeutic food will be distributed to commune health centers through the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN). Coordinating with the Government and other agencies to reach all children in need, UNICEF will prioritize its therapeutic food to the most severely malnourished children, ensuring that they benefit immediately. An estimated over 4,000 acutely malnourished children in Viet Nam will benefit every day for the next three months from this life-saving nutrition treatment.

“Children have been among the most affected by the recent natural disasters that have struck Viet Nam. UNICEF is working with partners to bring emergency relief to affected children and women in central Viet Nam, prioritizing access to clean water, sanitation facilities, health care, nutrition, education, psycho-social support and child protection”, added Rana Flowers.

To date, UNICEF has mobilized US$ 2.6 million from the Governments of Australia, New Zealand, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and from its supporters in multiple countries to address the urgent needs of the most vulnerable children, their families and communities in the most affected provinces.

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For more information, please contact:

• Louis Vigneault-Dubois, UNICEF Việt Nam +84-24-38500241; +84-966539673; email : [email protected]
• Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hương, UNICEF Việt Nam, 84-24-38500225; +84-904154678; email: [email protected]