The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised concerns over a critical funding shortfall that endangers lifesaving nutritional support for 1.3 million children under five in Nigeria and Ethiopia. These children, suffering from severe acute malnutrition, may lose access to essential treatment if additional funding is not secured soon.
UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, Kitty van der Heijden, warned that without immediate financial intervention, supplies of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) could run out by May. This would leave 80,000 children in Nigeria and 70,000 in Ethiopia at risk of severe health complications.
The crisis has been worsened by declining international donor contributions and foreign aid cuts. In Ethiopia’s Afar region, 23 mobile health clinics have already shut down due to budget constraints, limiting access to critical services such as nutrition and malaria care.
UNICEF has called on global donors to act swiftly to prevent a worsening child survival crisis in both countries.
