Malnutrition

Consecutive years of below-average rainfall in the Horn of Africa have created one of the worst climate-related emergencies of the past 40 years. The protracted drought is forcing families to leave their homes in search of food and water, putting their health, safety and education at risk. Over 20 million people, including 10 million children, in…, Forced to abandon home, 10-year-old Hibo carries water in a jerrycan to her temporary home in an IDP camp in Somalia 10-year-old Hibo carries water in a jerrycan to her temporary home in a camp for internally displaced people in Somalia. “We left our home in Guriel and walked for 10 days to reach Kaharey camp," she says. The scale of the displacement is immense – Somalia…, Daily life rationed, Hafsa Bedel, a mother of six, is struggling to save the lives of her young camels. Hafsa Bedel, a mother of six, is struggling to save the lives of her young camels in Ethiopia. Having already lost 25 livestock, she keeps them close to home for fear of them not finding food and water. “I can’t afford to feed them corn. We don’t even have enough…, A question of survival, Muna holds her baby Sukra in a UNICEF-supported Stabilisation Centre treating children with malnutrition in Somalia. Baby Sukra at a UNICEF-supported centre where children are treated for malnutrition in Somalia. Poor access to safe water jeopardizes a child’s chance of survival. Water scarcity increases the risk of diarrhoea, a major killer of…, Education on hold, Drought is affecting school attendance in the affected areas. Overall, 15 million children in the Horn of Africa are now out of school and an additional estimated 3.3 million children are at risk of dropping out due to drought.   Abdurazak Mohammed, a sixth grader, takes his donkeys back home at dusk Abdurazak Mohammed, a sixth grader, takes his…, Responding to the crisis, UNICEF and partners are providing life-saving services to children and their families in dire need across the Horn of Africa. We are on the ground providing essential health, nutrition, education and child protection services. To provide longer term solutions, we’re working to improve access to climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene…, What needs to happen, UNICEF has launched a regional call to action to address the drought crisis. If immediate funding needs are met, life-saving support may avert catastrophic consequences. But recurrent droughts and increasing water insecurity need long-term investments in water, sanitation and hygiene services, water management, and climate-proof infrastructure. …

Many people have never heard of severe wasting , also known as ‘severe acute malnutrition’. But that doesn’t change how excruciatingly painful the condition – which is caused by a lack of nutritious food and repeated bouts of diseases such as diarrhoea, measles and malaria – is for the millions of children battling it. Children with severe wasting…, Detection, A nurse weighs a child at a malnutrition rehabilitation centre in Nouakchott, Mauritania. A nurse weighs a child at a malnutrition rehabilitation centre in Nouakchott, Mauritania. Young children who have gone without food rapidly lose a lot of bodyweight, often exacerbated by bouts of infectious diarrhoea, until they become so thin and weak that…, Treatment, A mother comforts her severely malnourished child at stabilisation centre in Hargeisa, Somaliland. A mother comforts her severely malnourished child at a stabilization centre in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Hundreds of thousands of children in Somalia are at risk of developing severe wasting. Three consecutive seasons of failed rains, combined with…, Prevention, A mother in Yemen receives information on nutrition and other health issues in a village in Taizz governorate, Yemen. A mother in Yemen receives information on nutrition and other health issues in a village in Taiz governorate, Yemen. In Yemen, UNICEF is working with partners to empower new and expecting mothers with accurate information on…

A child’s first bite of food is celebrated among families around the world. It marks a new phase of discovery – new tastes, textures and smells. A nutritious diet in early childhood has the power to shape a healthier future for a child, helping to build a strong immune system, fuel a growing body and nourish a developing brain. Sadly, millions of…

MBANDZA, Republic of Congo – Véronique Etima was worried. She could see something was wrong with the children in her community. They were showing some of the same symptoms that her niece had displayed before she died. “At first, we didn’t know what had happened. But I could see that many children in our community were showing the same signs,” she…

"People I did not know kidnapped me in Kinshasa; I stayed with them for six months […] My favourite toy is my teddy bear, I like to walk around with him and to give him hugs."  KANANGA, Democratic Republic of the Congo – The image of Ngalula Tshufuila Marie, 13, as she clutches her most prized possession, her teddy bear, stands in stark contrast…

Photographer Ash Gilbertson travelled with UNICEF to the Central African Republic, where nearly two in three children – around 1.5 million – are in urgent need of aid amid an escalating humanitarian emergency. There he met some of the Central Africans who are demonstrating remarkable bravery, resilience, and commitment to their country’s children…

BANGUI, Central African Republic – Pierre’s mother died three years ago, soon after he was born. He lives with his father, Prosper, sister and grandmother in a little village outside Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. Pierre’s father doesn’t have a job, their lives have been ripped apart by ongoing conflict in the country. Every…