How peanut paste saves children’s lives
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UNICEF
Hundreds of millions of people suffer the effects of conflicts and disasters every year. Tens of millions of them are children under the age of five. In emergencies, UNICEF helps children directly in the areas of health care, nutrition, water, sanitary facilities and hygiene. Moreover, UNICEF provides child protection and education in such situations.
Plumpy’nut is a high-calorie peanut-based paste for therapeutic feeding. It was revolutionary, when it entered humanitarian practice more than a decade ago, and continues to be used widely today. The paste has a quick impact on the nutritional status of children, and a long shelf-life.
Tackling malnutrition among children is an important task of UNICEF worldwide. Cornelia Walther – Chief of Communication at UNICEF Haiti – traveled to Cap Haitian where she met Patricia Wolff, Director of Meds & Foods for Kids (MFK), a company based in Haiti which produces therapeutic foods for malnourished children, including Plumpy’nut.
These days, Patricia’s team produce a large proportion of the supply that UNICEF Haiti uses to support nutrition centres across the country.
The children of Haiti are in need of nutrition support. Today, nearly one in two children under 5 years of age suffers from malnutrition (stunted, wasted and underweight combined), for reasons including: poverty, disease and unfavourable feeding practices. If a child does not get sufficient nutrients during the first 1,000 days of life, her brain and body will never fully develop, which will have consequences on school performance and later on income, which has a tremendous impact on GDP.
Therapeutic food is part of the solution, if it goes hand in hand with overall development that enhances food security for families, and MFK has become an important player in Haiti.
Also read the story of the severely underfed two-year-old Oumarou, who has been fighting for his life for four weeks.
