A deadly mix of conflict, climate change and poverty have pushed 2.3 million children aged under 5 in South Sudan into life threatening acute malnutrition.
In a press statement released by the save the children yesterday, the rates soared just months after foreign governments announced the slashing of funds to the world’s poorest countries.
“Latest figures from the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) the leading global authority on the severity of hunger crises shows that in just over six months, the number of people living in the worst phase of acute hunger in South Sudan has doubled, and the percentage of the population living in crisis levels of acute hunger (IPC Phase 3 and above) has shot up from 47% to 57% – an increase of 21%” statement noted.
The statement emphasized that lack of food, insufficient medical supplies in health facilities and major disease outbreaks including cholera.
It also stated that the number of acutely malnourished children under the age of five across South Sudan has increased from 2.1 million to 2.3 million – a 10.5% increase, representing an additional 218,000 malnourished children.
“Of the 80 counties in which data was collected, 62 – 78% recorded a general deterioration in acute malnutrition, according to the IPC” statement partly read.
It underscored children as the most vulnerable in food crises and, without enough to eat and the right nutritional balance, they are at high risk of becoming acutely malnourished.
According to the statement, malnutrition can cause stunting, impede mental and physical development, and increase the risk of contracting deadly diseases.
All this has come as a result of foreign aid cuts which brought lifesaving programmes across South Sudan one of the world’s most aid-dependent countries to a standstill.
According to Christopher Nyamandi, Save the Children Country Director in South Sudan, said
“When there is a lack of food, children’s bodies become a battleground. The impacts of malnutrition – stunting, impeded mental and physical development, and increased risk of contracting deadly diseases – can be life-shattering.
“These latest figures are a cry to donors: please, see what happens to children when you let humanitarian crises take hold. Please, don’t leave the children of South Sudan behind. This is about survival for today – but it is also about hope for tomorrow, to build a better world.”
Speaking to the media yesterday, Danny Glenwright, who is the Chief Executive Officer for Save the Children Canada highlighted challenges during his visit to Bor of Jonglei states this week.
“We also saw in Boer, where we went to a nutrition centre, the challenges around escalating child malnutrition. We know this year that 2.3 million children younger than five are at risk of acute malnutrition. That’s a staggering number” he emphasized.
Glenwright emphasized that pregnant and lactating women were also among the massive number of people who are at risk of malnutrition.
Globally, one in five deaths among children aged under 5 are attributed to severe acute malnutrition, making it one of the top threats to child survival.