Exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, which is hampering or blocking huge wheat exports, the food situation in Africa is alarming. The United Nations estimates that in 2022, 6.3 million children aged 6 months to 5 years will be suffering from acute malnutrition in six countries in the Sahel, almost 1.5 million more than in 2021.
Given the urgency and limitations of traditional malnutrition programs, NGOs are adopting so-called “simplified” approaches. Objective: Earlier detection and treatment of children suffering from acute malnutrition by using a single therapeutic product, Plumpy Nut, instead of the current two, and by raising awareness of screening among families.
Le Monde Afrique traveled to Chad to visit one of the centers where the NGO ALIMA is testing this new approach. Weakened by the climate crisis, poor harvests, Covid-19 and shortages related to the war in Ukraine, Chad is in a critical situation: more than 1.6 million children under the age of 5 today need nutritional support to survive.
Also read: Chad: In N’Djamena, young children are the first victims of the food crisis