NAIROBI (Dawan Africa) – Somalia is among at least four African countries that could run out of life-saving therapeutic food for children within the next three months due to aid cuts, international agencies have warned.
According to Save the Children on Thursday, Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan are facing imminent shortages of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). The peanut-based paste, enriched with vitamins and minerals, has been credited with saving millions of children from severe acute malnutrition over the past three decades because it requires no refrigeration and can be administered at home.
In Nigeria, about 3.5 million children under five are severely malnourished. The country needs 629,000 cartons of RUTF during the lean season but has secured only 64%. In Kenya, 105,000 cartons are required until year-end, but supplies could run out by October with only 77% available. Somalia faces one of the worst shortages, with 1.8 million children at risk and only 39% of required funding received. In South Sudan, acute malnutrition has risen to 2.3 million children, yet only a third are receiving treatment due to clinic closures and resource gaps.
Save the Children estimates 15.6 million people across 18 countries could lose access to treatment in 2025, including 2.3 million children.
“Imagine being a parent with a severely malnourished child. Now imagine that the only thing that could help your child bounce back from the brink of death is therapeutic food — and that food is out of stock,” said Yvonne Arunga, Save the Children’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.
The agency has called on donors to urgently increase funding to prevent further shortages and ensure access to treatment.
