The United Nations has estimated that approximately 700,000 children in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa may be affected by the problem of food security and a nutrition crisis in 2023.
As a response to this, the United Nations has allocated $20 million to enhance the humanitarian response in the North-Eastern states.
Ann Weru, from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Nigeria, provided an update on malnutrition in Nigeria on Tuesday.
Ms. Weru stated that the funds were sourced from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF).
“To support the government’s efforts, $9 million in CERF funding, along with an additional $11 million NHF allocation, will be utilized for a coordinated multi-sectoral response aimed at preventing deterioration to famine or famine-like conditions,” she explained.
The statement also revealed that during the peak of the “lean season” from June to August, approximately half a million people in the affected states were expected to face emergency levels of food insecurity. This period coincides with the rainy season, which is known for causing diarrhea and other outbreaks that could exacerbate the precarious situation of malnourished children.
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“Unless there is a rapid and significant scale-up of humanitarian assistance, extremely high rates of acute malnutrition and deaths are predicted,” said Matthias Schmale, the humanitarian coordinator for Nigeria.
“The government, donors, and the international community must urgently provide funding to protect the lives and future of vulnerable children in North-east Nigeria.”
The bulk of the CERF allocation will be allocated to the World Food Programme to provide food security interventions, including food and voucher assistance for 95,000 extremely food-insecure people in three garrison towns of Borno.
Additionally, $2 million will be spent on acute malnutrition prevention, and $1 million will be allocated to the Food and Agriculture Organization for seeds and agriculture tools.
“The majority of the NHF funding, $11 million, will be used to improve access to clean water and sanitation, hygiene, and nutrition. This includes reactivating, sustaining, and scaling up bed capacity at stabilization centers, as well as scaling up outpatient therapeutic feeding programs,” the statement clarified.
The remaining funding will be directed towards healthcare, including the integrated management of childhood illnesses and complicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM) cases, as well as protection services with a focus on gender-based violence, child protection, and mine action.
“The NHF aims to allocate 50 percent of the funding to eligible national partners on the frontlines,” the statement added.
