US provides K1.9 billion for malnutrition fight
The United States (US) government has provided K1.9 billion to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) for provision of nutrition support to less privileged children in nine drought and flood-prone districts in the country.
The package will be provided through United States Agency for International Development (Usaid), a statement dated February 11 indicates.
Usaid Malawi Mission Director Catie Lott says the package signifies the agency’s commitment to working with the Malawi Government in improving children’s nutrition status.
“We are honoured to have made this contribution to Malawi’s nutrition story, especially for children under five years old. Because nutrition is critical to achieving a healthy and productive population, we will continue to leverage our strong partnerships with the Government of Malawi and Unicef to do more,” the statement reads.
Unicef Malawi representative Rudolf Schwenk says they are equally committed to ridding Malawi of the challenge of malnutrition.
“Nutrition is at the core of child health and well-being. Together with Usaid and other strategic partners, we have been supporting the Government of Malawi to improve child nutrition and give children the best start in life.
“This new funding will strengthen our work to identify and treat children suffering from malnutrition, a condition often worsened by disasters and public health emergencies,” he said.
The assistance will enable Unicef to deliver ready-to-use therapeutic food to more than 35,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Malawi between now and June 2022.
