Six weeks since Russia invaded the neighboring country, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEFsaid imports have been disrupted to the Middle East and North Africa, where more than 90% of food comes from abroad.
Prices have also increased for essential commodities, including wheat, cooking oil and fuel and if this situation continues, “it will seriously affect the childrenespecially in Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen,” said UNICEF.
Too poor to pay
Adele Khodr, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, warns of the “unprecedented rise in food prices” that families are insolvency because of “ongoing conflict, political instability, COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine“.
Due to many of these issues, “the number of malnourished children is likely to increase dramatically,” Ms. Khodr said, in an appeal to aid partners “to reinforce efforts to urgently deploy and scale up.” prevention, early detection and treatment of malnutrition to address the needs of millions of children and women, especially in crisis-affected countries. This is important to avert a major child malnutrition crisis in the region. ”
Prevention efforts
UNICEF works with partners to provide and expand life-saving treatment services for severely emaciated children, combined with early detection of emaciation in children under 5 years of age. Together with partners, UNICEF also provides preventive nutrition services, including micronutrient supplementation and growth monitoring, along with breastfeeding advice and support and appropriate complementary feeding. age appropriate.
“We stand ready to facilitate the improvement of the nutritional response in the region to further strengthen linkages with the agriculture, social protection, education and water supply and sanitation sectors,” said Ms. to reach more children in need”.
Always hungry
According to UNICEF, less than four out of every 10 young children in the Middle East and North Africa get the nutrition they need to grow and develop properly.
The region is already home to high rates of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, meaning that almost one in five children is malnourished, and the same number is emaciated – or lost weight. fast – related to lack of appetite.
Alarming for this data is that the situation is even worse in countries in the Middle East and North Africa hardest hit by the Ukraine war.
Stunted, anemic
In In Yemen, 45% of children are stunted and more than 86% are anemicwhose most common causes include nutritional deficiencies, especially iron, although a lack of folate, vitamins B12 and A, is also important. reason.
UNICEF also warns that in Sudan, 13.6% of children are stunted, 36.4% are stunted and almost half are anemic.
In Lebanon, 94% of young children do not receive the nutrition they need, while more than 40% of women and children under the age of 5 are anemic;
In Syria – where the average basket of food prices will nearly double by 2021 – one in four young children is getting enough to eat.
