Action Against Hunger Sounds the Alarm on Emergency for Children in Mali

August 27, 2024 /3BL/ - Action Against Hunger is sounding the alarm around a growing nutritional emergency after the latest Survey Monitoring and Assessment of Malnutrition (SMART) revealed the prevalence of child malnutrition in Mali far exceeds critical thresholds set by the World Health Organization (WHO). In camps for people displaced by the conflict in Gao, in the north-east of the country, 30.1% of children aged 6-59 months are suffering from moderate acute malnutrition, twice the rate considered “severe” by the WHO. The national rate of severe acute malnutrition, which is the deadliest form of hunger, rose from 4.2% last year to 11% today (Rapid SMART June 2024), the highest level in a decade.

“We haven’t seen such severe data on the prevalence of acute malnutrition in children since famine was declared in Somalia in 2011,” said Action Against Hunger’s Africa Operations Manager, Paloma Martín de Miguel. “The conflicts unfolding in Mali since 2012 have unleashed a chain of food and nutrition crises with devastating consequences for the population, forcing people to flee affected areas, leaving behind their homes and all their resources without being able to meet their most basic needs.”

UN data suggests nearly 1.5 million children were acutely malnourished nationally between June 2023 and May 2024.

Conflict, food insecurity, lack of access to health services, poverty and forced displacement, coupled with a lack of knowledge about good nutritional practices, contribute to persistently high levels of malnutrition. This is further exacerbated by the lean season, the period between planting and harvesting crops, when food stocks are at their lowest. This time is particularly hard on vulnerable households which, without assistance, have no means of securing their food supply.

“The nutrition emergency in Mali is a complex and multifaceted problem that requires concerted action by the international community,” said Action Against Hunger’s Country Director in Mali, Mamadou Diop. “This crisis requires a comprehensive response that addresses both immediate and structural needs, including improving food security, strengthening health systems, access to water and promoting hygiene and nutrition practices.”

Action Against Hunger, present in Mali since 1996, is responding to this crisis with a multi-sectoral approach. Darsalam, a camp for people internally displaced by the conflict in Ménaka, is home to more than 4, 000 people who have fled the fighting in the region. In this camp, Action Against Hunger teams are screening for moderate and severe acute malnutrition in children aged 6-59 months and in pregnant and lactating women. The nonprofit is treating this health emergency through a community-based approach combined with mobile clinics, while providing food aid to vulnerable households. There are also plans to rehabilitate and construct water, hygiene and sanitation infrastructure in the camps, and support the distribution of hygiene and livelihood kits to households in need. Unclean water is a significant risk for malnourished children who are vulnerable to diarrheal diseases.

In the face of this emergency situation, Action Against Hunger and more than 40 other NGOs are calling for immediate action to prevent an increase in malnutrition rates in the most affected areas, as well as urgent mobilization of funds to cover the urgent nutritional needs of 517,695 people in high priority areas during the lean season.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 59 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.