The United States Government has contributed $32.5 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) to bolster food security and nutrition aid efforts in Nigeria.
This generous contribution was announced on Wednesday through a statement by Aishah Gambari from the U.S. Embassy in Abuja.
The donation is designed to deliver essential food and nutrition assistance to vulnerable Nigerian communities facing crisis and food shortages.
According to the statement, “With the U.S. Government providing $32.5 million, the World Food Programme Nigeria will deliver food and nutritional aid to internally displaced persons in conflict-affected regions.”
“Thanks to this support, WFP Nigeria aims to assist 764,205 individuals throughout Northeast and Northwest Nigeria with food and nutritional assistance.
“The initiative also features supplementary nutrition packages for 41,569 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls, as well as 43,235 children, all distributed via electronic food vouchers.”
PUNCH Healthwise previously reported that nearly 100 children under the age of five die every hour in Nigeria due to malnutrition, according to UNICEF.
Nemat Hajeebhoy, Chief Nutritionist for UNICEF, emphasized that inadequate diets deprive millions of Nigerian children of their health, development, and future opportunities. She noted that many children do not have access to the food and nutrients needed for proper growth.
Hajeebhoy warned that malnutrition poses a grave threat to the survival and well-being of children in Nigeria.
“Children suffering from severe acute malnutrition are almost 12 times more likely to die than their healthy peers if left untreated,” she explained.
“UNICEF projects that unless swift action is taken, a staggering 14.7 million children under five will endure moderate to severe acute malnutrition, or wasting, this year.
“Of this number, 13 million are expected to suffer from moderate acute malnutrition, while 1.7 million may face severe acute malnutrition,” Hajeebhoy stated during the media executive roundtable on Wednesday in Abuja, organized by the National Council of Nutrition alongside the Vice President’s office.
The event was further supported by UNICEF, the Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Health, and additional partners.
