UNICEF's urgent appeal for RUTF and milk supplies for children

In August, The U.S. State Department announced $93 million in food aid to help nearly 1 million children in 13 countries beat severe malnutrition. Through UNICEF, this investment will deliver Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF),  a cost-effective, American-made product proven to save lives and boost local economies in the U.S. But here’s the challenge: this funding, while critical, is just a fraction of what’s needed to end global malnutrition. Last year the U.S. invested approximately $350 million in the fight, over $250 million more than has been provided so far this year.   U.S. investments in RUTF are a win-win—strengthening the American economy at home and saving lives abroad. 💡 We’re calling on the U.S. Government to ensure investments like this are part of a sustained commitment to ending child malnutrition for good. 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/eR4cb9DC #GlobalNutrition #RUTF #ForeignPolicy #ChildHealth Photo: UNICEFSouthSudan/Ryeng

🧃 It may look like a simple sachet, but inside lies a powerful solution: Plumpy’Nut – a ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) designed to treat severe acute malnutrition in children. But what makes it so effective? ✅ It’s packed with essential nutrients: proteins, vitamins, and minerals. ✅ It doesn’t require cooking or refrigeration. ✅ It can be administered at home by caregivers, even in remote areas. ✅ It helps children recover quickly and safely. 🎯 Thanks to the financial support of the Gouvernement du Canada Affaires mondiales Canada | Global Affairs Canada, European Union, European Commission, KfW, and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), UNICEF Cameroon can deliver thousands of these sachets to children in need across the country. Their partnership is helping us reach the most vulnerable, restore health, and give children a chance to thrive. #UNICEFCameroon #ChildNutrition #CuriosityForChange #CanadaForEveryChild #KfWForLife #PlumpyNutPower

Cholera: The Unseen Enemy in Our Water Can you use this water to bath? If your answer is No, It is because you have a choice. I was like you for several years ago... But my answer has always been YES, Ever since I Obeyed the Clarion Call. Earlier this year, I was posted to Bayelsa State; The Glory of All Land for my National Youth Service. In my PPA; a community by the Atlantic Ocean, I've seen how health challenges affect education, productivity, and even unity in communities. One disease that continues to pose a silent but deadly threat is #CHOLERA. Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria, usually spread through contaminated food or water. In severe cases, it can lead to dehydration and death within hours if untreated. Cholera is both a public health crisis and a development challenge. It directly connects to SDG 3 (Good Health & Well-Being) and SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation). Cholera outbreaks are more common in places with: 1. Limited access to clean water_ Rainfall is our major clean water because we usually have prolong raining season, but whenever the rain seizes, we revert to well water. As seen below... 2. Poor sanitation system_ I would write about this some other time ( smiles ) . 3. Overcrowded or underserved communities. Sadly, these are challenges many communities in Nigeria and across Africa still face Beyond the numbers, cholera disrupts education, livelihoods, and even community peace. #CholeraIsPreventableandTreatable. Solutions are simple !!! They are: 1. Clean Water: Investing in boreholes, safe water kiosks, and filtration systems. 2. Sanitation: Building and maintaining toilets in schools and communities. 3. Hygiene Awareness: Simple handwashing campaigns can save lives. 4. Early Treatment & Vaccination:Ensuring quick access to rehydration salts, IV fluids, and vaccines in high-risk areas. As a Corp member serving in the South-South, I’ve seen that public health is not just about hospitals. It starts in our homes, our schools, and our communities. Every child deserves to drink safe water, attend school without fear of disease, and grow up healthy enough to chase their dreams. Government should prioritize WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) in rural and urban planning. Organizations like WHO & UNICEF should continue to support local interventions and vaccination drives. Community Members must embrace hygiene practices and speak up for better sanitation. If we can unite around these simple but powerful steps, we can build a Nigeria where cholera becomes a story of the past. #Nigeria #WHO #UNICEF #GlobalHealth #PublicHealth #Cholera #NYSC #SDG3 #SDG6

🚨 Cholera Crisis 2025 – A One Health Emergency 🚨 From January to August 2025, the World Health Organization has recorded over 409,000 cases of cholera and nearly 5,000 deaths globally. Africa is bearing the heaviest burden, with 73,000+ cases and almost 500 deaths across 22 countries this year. In Nigeria, states like Zamfara have already reported deadly outbreaks. As a veterinary doctor, I see cholera not just as a human health problem, but as a One Health challenge. Unsafe water and poor sanitation threaten families, animals, markets, and food systems. This is why veterinarians, alongside medical doctors and public health workers, must be part of the response. 💧 ORS saves lives – a simple salt-sugar solution can prevent deaths. 💧 Safe water and sanitation stop transmission – boil, chlorinate, and protect our water sources. 💧 Community education is prevention – every household needs this knowledge. Africa CDC, WHO AFRO, UNICEF, and national agencies like NCDC Nigeria are leading vital efforts. But more must be done: Expand WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) access, Strengthen surveillance and lab capacity, Ensure equitable vaccine distribution, Protect water infrastructure in conflict and disaster zones. 👉 I created this short video to raise awareness and call for urgent action. Please watch, share, and let’s work together to save lives. Cholera kills fast. Prevention is power. #Cholera #AfricaCDC #OneHealth #PublicHealth #HealthForAll #StopCholera #GlobalHealth #VeterinaryMedicine #NigeriaHealth #WASH Africa CDC Youth Africa CDC World Health Organization

Kenya is facing a sharp rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), driven by unhealthy diets and the increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods. To truly #LeadOnNCDs, we must adopt strong, evidence-based measures, like mandatory Front-of-Pack Warning Labels (FOPWL), to empower consumers with clear information and protect public health. With #WorldHeartDay approaching, advancing robust food policies like FOPWL is critical to safeguarding Kenyans from heart disease and other NCDs. #FoodPolicyKE

🚨 Rising #Polio Cases in Pakistan: Time to #Integrate_WASHwithPEI. The recent surge in polio cases in #Pakistan particularly in #Sindh is a pressing #publichealth_concern. While gaps in #OPV_coverage and #vaccinerefusal are well-recognized challenges, #environmentalfactors especially #poor_sanitation and #unsafe_water—play a critical role in sustaining #poliovirustransmission. Poliovirus spreads primarily through the fecal-oral route, meaning #contaminated_water and inadequate sanitation directly facilitate its circulation in communities. #Opendefecation, poorly maintained sewage systems, and lack of clean drinking water create an environment where the virus can persist, infecting children particularly those who are malnourished or immunocompromised. To effectively break this cycle, we need a holistic #publichealth_strategy: Integrate #WASH into Polio Eradication Initiative (#PEI): Ensuring access to safe water, proper sewage disposal, and #hygieneeducation will reduce environmental transmission of poliovirus. Robust #SBCC (Social and Behavior Change Communication): Educating communities about hygiene practices, vaccination benefits, and sanitation improvements can overcome vaccine hesitancy and unsafe behaviors. Focus on vulnerable children A #polio_free_Pakistan is only possible when #immunizationcampaigns go hand-in-hand with sustainable sanitation and hygiene interventions. Public health authorities, community leaders, and policymakers must collaborate to create safe environments where every child can thrive—polio-free. 💧🧼🦠 Safe water + sanitation + vaccination = healthy children #PublicHealth #PolioEradication #WASH #SBCC #ChildHealth #CommunityEngagement #SindhHealth #VaccinationAwareness #PakistanHealth #pei #epi #washinpei #who #unicef #gavi #mbgf #publichealth_drlaghari

Urgent Alarm from Ethiopia: Broken Supply Pipelines Are Costing Young Lives #PublicHealth #Nutrition #Ethiopia #FoodSecurity #HumanitarianAid As a public health nutrition specialist, it is devastating to report on the catastrophic breakdown of life-saving malnutrition treatment programs in Ethiopia. Critical funding shortfalls have severed the supply pipelines for Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), leaving hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable at risk. The facts on the ground are stark : · 🚨 The World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to suspend aid for 650,000 malnourished women and children. · 🚨 Assistance for up to 3.6 million people is at imminent risk unless new funding is urgently secured. This isn't just a statistic; it's a death sentence for many children. RUTF is a simple, peanut-based paste that is highly effective in treating severe acute malnutrition. When treatment is interrupted, children are left exposed to preventable diseases, developmental delays, and death. Programs are faced with impossible choices: exit children from treatment as "defaulters" due to no fault of their own or try to continue care with no supplies, compromising recovery protocols . This crisis is exacerbated by a perfect storm of challenges in Ethiopia, including the aftermath of conflict, instability, and climate shocks like below-average rainfall . However, the core issue remains a dramatic shortfall in the international funding required to meet basic human needs. What can we do? 1. Amplify the Call: Share updates from reputable agencies like the WFP and on-the-ground partners like Helen Keller Intl to keep this crisis visible . 2. Advocate for Action: Encourage governments and international donors to bridge the funding gap. The WFP alone reports a shortfall of $222 million just for the period between April and September 2025 . 3. Support Sustained Solutions: While emergency aid is critical now, we must also advocate for long-term investments in local health systems and sustainable food production to build resilience. The suspension of these programs represents a failure of the global system to protect the most basic right to nutrition. We cannot stand by while supply chain breaks create a cascade of suffering. The time for action is now. What solutions or advocacy efforts are you seeing that can make a difference? Please share your thoughts below. #ChildHealth #MaternalHealth #WFP #GlobalHealth #FundingGap

NEW GRANT ALERT! When USAID funding was abruptly terminated earlier this year, 124,000 women and children across four Nigerian states suddenly lost access to critical nutrition services. Thanks to the Rapid Response Fund, a $1.5M grant was able to restore lifesaving nutrition services in Nigeria, including providing screening and treatment for children suffering from malnutrition, as well as strengthening health services by integrating early malnutrition detection, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support into routine care. To learn more about Helen Keller Intl, visit our page here: https://lnkd.in/daD6rmhf #thelifeyoucansave #helenkellerintl #rapidresponsefund

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲: Nutrition Interventions to Prevent Malnutrition in Critical Humanitarian Emergencies👀 With major funding cuts in 2025, #humanitarian actors are being forced to reprioritise. This document provides 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘀 (Intersectoral Severity 4 & 5), to complement early detection and treatment of #Wasting. 💡 In these emergencies, where children’s lives are most at risk, the document helps ensure that #prevention actions – including support for moderately wasted children – are not overlooked, even under resource constraints. ✅ #ChildWasting is one of the deadliest forms of malnutrition. This guidance reinforces why nutrition must remain central in humanitarian response, despite shrinking funding.👦👧 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: http://bit.ly/41ZAYXL #EndChildWasting #HumanitarianResponse #Malnutrition

📋 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 & 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭. Due to major cuts in humanitari&development funding in early 2025, countries are being asked to focus on geographical areas classified under Intersectoral Severity levels 4 (“extreme”) and 5 (“catastrophic”) — areas experiencing widespread mortality, collapse of basic services, extreme protection risks, rights violations, and high exposure to multiple threats) 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭, 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘕𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (𝘔𝘐𝘠𝘊𝘕): • IYCF assessments, messaging, and referrals. • Support for breastfeeding, safe spaces for mother-baby care if possible. • Regulating breastmilk substitutes, psychosocial support for mothers/caregivers. 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴: • SFP for children 6-59 months in food-insecure households. • BSFP where possible. • Balanced energy-protein supplements for pregnant and breastfeeding women and adolescent girls. 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴: • vit. A, deworming where relevant. • Iron, folic acid, multiple micronutrient supplements. • SQ-LNS, multiple micronutrient powders. 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦: • Provide food assistance (cash, vouchers, or in-kind) to most food-insecure households, especially those with pregnant/breastfeeding women or young children. • Expand to households with children under 5. 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬-𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: • Adjust existing social protection mechanisms to better cover nutrition needs (e.g., pregnant women, infants) in emergencies. 🔍 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 & 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 1. 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 ≠ 𝘓𝘶𝘹𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴. Prevention is not optional—it’s essential. The cost of not preventing malnutrition (in mortality, morbidity, economic recovery) is far higher. 2. 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴. Focus where highest impact and feasibility are possible. Situational context (drivers of vulnerability, food access, health service functioning) must guide what to include. 3. 𝘚𝘺𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴. Many prevention actions require coordination and integration across nutrition, health, protection, social protection, WASH etc. 4. 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘢 & 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. To target well (who is most vulnerable, which households have young children, how many pregnant women etc.), it’s necessary to have good data (household composition, nutrition indicators). 5. 𝘍𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 & 𝘈𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. Severity 4/5 areas are usually volatile. Programming must be adaptable. Interim guidance and programmatic adaptations are required. 6. 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘺. Because funding is decreasing, humanitarian actors must use evidence-based advocacy to ensure prevention is included in priority areas.