US$225m plan to feed Africa

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) recently asked for US$255 million to scale up its emergency nutrition response in priority countries in Eastern and Southern Africa in 2022.

At least 1,5 million children are not receiving life-saving treatment for severe wasting in the focus countries, Unicef warned in a statement released in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

The additional funds will support children with adequate and life-saving nutrition services, including treatment for severe wasting, the statement read.

Wasting is a life-threatening form of malnutrition, which makes children too thin and weak and puts them at greater risk of dying, poor growth, development and learning. There are almost 11 million children with wasting in these African countries. — The South