Nearly half a million children in northeast Nigeria are severely chronically malnourished as a result of Boko Haram. Ongoing attacks by the militant group has displaced millions of people, many of whom are cut off from humanitarian aid due to ongoing violence. As journalist Aryn Baker reported last week for TIME:
“Conflict can make eating right all but impossible. This is the situation in northeastern Nigeria, where for the past seven years the Boko Haram militant group has waged a violent insurgency that has kept farmers from their fields, food away from markets, and families living off paltry food donations in camps for the internally displaced.”
In the hardest-hit states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, some 50,000 people — including women and children — are experiencing famine-like conditions.
Malnutrition is especially dangerous for children under two years old. Without the right nutrients at the right time, these children face stunted growth in both physical and brain development, become more susceptible to disease and find themselves in a life of poverty and hardship. One aid worker told Baker:
“Chronic malnutrition occurs when a child eats enough to stop from starving, but doesn’t get sufficient nutrients to develop properly, especially in the vital first two years of life. If children don’t get good nutrition from an early age, they are vulnerable. The child can suffer from disease and stunting, launching the cycle of poverty.”
The consequences of childhood stunting reverberate throughout a person’s life. In fact, in its most recent nutrition overview, the World Bank found three alarming economic repercussions of childhood malnutrition:
Adults who were stunted as children earn 20 percent less than their well-nourished peers.
Adults who were stunted as children are 33 percent more likely to live in poverty.
Malnutrition can reduce GDP in some Asian and African countries by between 2 percent and 11 percent every year.
That’s why it’s crucial for mothers and children to have the right nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life — what nutritionists call the “golden window” between pregnancy and age two.
Right now the World Food Programme (WFP) is working with 18 national and international humanitarian agencies to distribute specialized nutritious food to mothers and children in Nigeria, especially Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
WFP/Amadou Baraze
A child in Madagali, Nigeria is measured for mid-upper arm circumference. The red marking on the band indicates the most severe form of malnutrition.
Unfortunately, funding shortfalls have forced WFP to shrink critical nutrition assistance, targeting only the most vulnerable women and the youngest children — those under age two instead of age five — with reduced rations.
This is a brutal form of triage. With the right resources, WFP could reach more children before it’s too late. But the agency needs your support.
