Children in Malawi at Risk of Malnutrition, Disease, and Displacement
UNICEF appeals for US$87.7M to help 3.3M Malawian children at risk of malnutrition.
Lilongwe, Malawi-The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has appealed for US$87.7 million to address the urgent needs of 3.3 million children in Malawi, following revelations that at least 573,000 children under the age of five are at risk of suffering from malnutrition, writes Wanangwa Mtawali.
The UN agency says despite recent progress in reducing chronic malnutrition and acute food insecurity—compounded by recurrent climate shocks, preventable disease outbreaks, economic instability, and chronic underfunding in the social sectors—the current situation threatens to reverse past gains.
UNICEF also notes that Malawi is still grappling with the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy in March, which internally displaced 659,000 people, including many children.
This, as further noted by the agency, is happening at a time when an ongoing cholera outbreak in the country has already claimed 1,759 lives, including many children.
"Children in Malawi are at the sharp end of the global poll crisis. Food insecurity, exacerbated by a growing climate crisis, disease outbreaks, and the global economic downturn, threatens to wreak havoc and disrupt the lives of millions of children.
"The prospect of having over half a million children suffering from malnutrition is unacceptable. Without an immediate response, the impact on these vulnerable children will be deadly,” said UNICEF Country Representative Gianfranco Rotigliano.
According to UNICEF, this new Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal, launched by the agency, shows an increase in malnutrition cases among children in Malawi over the last five years, with the challenge accelerating significantly in recent months.
In 2023 alone, says UNICEF, it is estimated that over 62,000 children, aged between 6 to 59 months, are at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), often called wasting.
Therefore, to respond to the urgent needs of 6.5 million people, including 3.3 million children, UNICEF has increased its appeal for Malawi from US$52.4 to US$87.7 million.
This funding will meet priority needs such as ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) for treating severe acute malnutrition, access to safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene items, health, nutrition, education, child protection services, and cash transfer schemes.
"Without increased support, poor and vulnerable households with children will be left without access to basic services, essential supplies, and social assistance.
“But beyond the immediate response, it is crucial that we invest in long-term solutions by strengthening systems and building resilience within communities to handle recurring outbreaks and humanitarian emergencies better,” Rotigliano said.
UNICEF says in the first quarter of 2023, with the support of donors and partners, it will have already assisted the Government of Malawi in, among other things, screening 140,307 children under the age of five for acute malnutrition.
Among them, 522 children were identified as having SAM and were referred to health facilities for further care.