USAID commits $200 million to treat acute malnutrition worldwide

Full image credit: USAID

May 7, 2024 — The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced plans to contribute $200 million to purchase and distribute ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) and other specialized nutritious foods intended for to prevent and treat acute malnutrition. . The RUTF is planned to be distributed through development partners UNICEF and the World Food Program to people in places including Sudan, Burkina Faso and Haiti, building on existing support to Gaza and Ethiopia.

USAID Administrator Samantha Power made the announcement while speaking at the RUTF Maternally Managed Nutrition (MANA) factory in Fitzgerald, Georgia. “Today, this global food security crisis, exacerbated by the climate crisis, historic levels of conflict, the excess of COVID-19 and all the damage it caused, the debt overhang, has put 164 million people at risk of suffering a “acute food insecurity”.

“That’s a 92% increase from before the pandemic. This is a really steep increase. When we have solutions like the ones in this building—solutions that work, that are affordable, and that are readily available—we should move toward ending severe hunger forever. Right now, we are actually seeing the rise of the problem of severe hunger. That is why we are taking action with partners around the world to reverse this trend.”

Address child malnutrition
According to the agency, an estimated 300 million people worldwide will need humanitarian assistance this year, as food insecurity is exacerbated by conflicts around the world, including Russia’s war against Ukraine and the climate crisis. The agency says it continues to prioritize child nutrition as it works to integrate child health care and nutrition programs at the community and facility levels.

The daily cost of RUTF treatment for a child is less than US$1 per day, while recovery rates are up to 90%.USAID’s statement following the announcement reads: “Famine is looming in Gaza and Sudan as critical food and nutrition assistance is nearly impossible to access. “Child wasting, the most acute and life-threatening form of malnutrition, affects 45 million children worldwide.”

RUTF are one of the most effective treatments for wasting. It can save a child’s life and prevent him from falling into wasting again after recovery from it. USAID provides RUTF as part of its comprehensive package to support patients, their families and communities.

MANA RUTF is a non-perishable product that contains peanuts, milk powder, oil, sugar and a mixture of nutrients. The daily cost of RUTF treatment for a child is less than US$1 per day, while recovery rates are up to 90%.

The newly announced additional funding aims to provide treatment to millions of children most in need. This additional support comes on top of the $500 million aid package from public and private partners announced at the 2022 UN General Assembly. “In 2022, USAID made a historic one-time contribution of $200 million to expand access to RUTF,” says Power.

“We put out a call to action for partner governments, philanthropic foundations, individuals and anyone to match that donation, and in total, together, we raised another unprecedented $330 million for waste treatment around the world. Today we are building on that commitment.”

According to the NGO Alliance to End Hunger, the 2022 commitment enabled life-saving RUTF to reach 7.3 million children under five, a 35% increase over the previous year.

Reception of interested parties
The Eleanor Crook Foundation (ECF), a private American philanthropy dedicated to ending global malnutrition, attended Power’s speech at the MANA factory and praises the announcement. ECF recently launched a partnership with Action Against Hunger with the aim of accelerating local adaptation and country-led adoption of the new WHO guidelines on wasting.

USAID Administrator Samatha Power said we are seeing a severe increase in hunger, while announcing plans to take steps to reverse this trend.Kim Cernak, CEO of ECF, comments: “Every 11 seconds, a child dies from malnutrition, a heartbreaking reality that we can put an end to. RUTF offer severely malnourished children the opportunity not only to survive but to thrive. Today, USAID has taken historic steps to invest in RUTF, which means millions of children will receive the treatment they need.”

“We congratulate USAID for continuing to take leadership on the issue of fatal malnutrition, and we congratulate Congress for affirming the United States’ commitment to a healthier, safer world. We know that when we come together, we make progress that positively impacts lives around the world. “We urge all donors to maintain this momentum with additional support to RUTF so that all children who need this life-saving treatment can receive it.”

The new WHO guidelines recommend treatment of wasted children with RUTF when doses are limited, as well as guidance for young people classified as “moderately wasted.” ECF has also made recent contributions to combating child wasting in several countries, including Senegal.

Also present was philanthropist Chris Hohn, who confirmed his $50 million investment in RUTF, building on his previous $200 million donation in support of MANA facilities and operations.

Mark Moore, founder and CEO of MANA, says: “It was an honor to host Administrator Power for a tour of MANA’s expanding Fitzgerald RUTF facility and to have our factory serve as the location for their announcement, which continues the commitment to our collective fight. against child malnutrition.”

“At MANA we like to say: ‘We are the people.’ This U.S. government investment in RUTF, like the one before it, can save millions of the most vulnerable children in our global village and will allow MANA to leverage the strength of our local village in Georgia, which proudly provides the workforce and key resources. ingredients necessary to produce RUTF.

By Milana Nikolova

To contact our editorial team, please email us at [email protected]