We are delighted to announce another successful delivery of 26 tons of ready-to-use therapeutic food Plumpy’Nut®, in collaboration with supply partner Edesia, to the port of Aden to help combat childhood malnutrition in Yemen.
Since the end of 2018, MOAS has started to provide aid to Yemeni communities which are experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, caused by a fatal combination of factors such as persistent conflict, displacement, natural hazards, locust invasion and the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2020, we delivered over 50 tonnes of nutritional aid and 70,000 Euro worth of medical supplies to the port of Aden, to help combat the humanitarian crisis that is hitting the country . All of our aid deliveries are coordinated and distributed by our in-country partners, ADRA Yemen, who are taking care of distribution in the country.
From October to December 2020, 13.5 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity despite ongoing humanitarian food assistance and the trend for this year is predicted to be even worse. According to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), acute malnutrition rates among children under five are the highest ever recorded in parts of Yemen, with more than half a million cases in southern districts alone, and more that 3.2 million people experiencing acute food insecurity across the country.
What is Plumpy’Nut® ?
Peanut-based Plumpy’Nut® is based on the formulation of F-100 milk and complies with the World Health Organization’s definition of RUTF. It is a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), provided by manufactures Edesia, who partner with MOAS on this life-saving initiative. The product is specifically prepared for the treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in children 6 months of age and older. The treatment, which has an average duration of 6-10 weeks, is based on a simple fortified peanut butter recipe, and is a powerful tool to save children’s lives. Invented by a French pediatrician, Plumpy’Nut® can last without refrigeration up to two years and is very easy to use, since it doesn’t need water to be consumed. Medical staff can provide parents with a two-week supply that can easily be administered to the children at home, with no need for hospitalization. Because peanut allergies are nearly nonexistent in the developing world, there’s little risk of a deadly allergic reaction. After receiving the 92-gram, 500-kilocalorie supplement, the children begin rapidly gaining weight and come back to life.
Food insecurity projections for 2021 in Yemen
Food insecurity in Yemen show an increasing trend of nearly 300,000 people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in the first six months of 2021 – according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis: “Food insecurity is more severe in areas with active fighting or bordering areas with limited access, and is particularly affecting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and marginalized groups. 16.2 million people are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between January and June 2021. 47,000 of these people will likely be in Catastrophe”.
That is why MOAS will continue to work and collaborate with our partner, ADRA Yemen, to provide life-saving nutritional supplies and aid to the most vulnerable communities in need of humanitarian assistance. To save lives and avert a further worsening of the situation, MOAS needs your support to keep on with the nutrition deliveries for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
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