2023 has been another difficult year for the world's children. But it has also showed us what really matters in life - to be healthy and safe with our families, and to help those in need.
As we approach the new year and start to make new resolutions to be healthy and happy, we urge you to do something special.
This year make a Resolution for Two- one for yourself and one for a child in critical need. So that as you get healthier, so do children like Akot.
Luul’s journey from severe acute malnutrition to recovery
“When I saw how swollen her body was, I became extremely worried. She wasn't sleeping well and cried incessantly, leaving me anxious and distressed.” says Luul's mother
For people living in Somalia, recurrent natural and man-made emergencies have resulted in instability, drought, famine, disease outbreaks, and flooding over several decades. Countless families have been internally displaced, and food insecurity has caused severe malnutrition in millions of children like two- year-old Luul.
Luul was diagnosed with acute severe malnutrition last June. Her mother, Salaado Kerow, brought her to the outpatient therapeutic centre in the Alla Futo camp for internally displaced people, on the outskirts of Somalia’s Mogadishu.
UNICEF plays a crucial role in supporting the stabilisation centre at Banadir Hospital, where Luul was subsequently transferred for urgent treatment. It’s here that we deliver therapeutic foods to severely malnourished children with medical conditions, and work with our partners to provide essential micronutrients for the hospital’s daily nutrition program.
After a month of treatment, Salaado was overjoyed to learn that her daughter was no longer suffering from acute malnutrition. As part of her outpatient treatment, Luul continued to receive ready-to-use therapeutic food every day, a vital part of her recovery process.
A simple peanut paste is saving lives, every day, every minute.
The RUTF is designed to treat acute malnutrition among children. It is based on peanuts which are turned into a paste and enriched with dried skimmed milk, oil, a combination of vitamins and minerals and sugar. The latter increases the calorie, but also makes it sweet and therefore more inviting for children struggling with their appetite, which is often the case when being severely acute malnourished. Normally, the body bounces back to normal weight in 6-8 weeks.
Your donation will help UNICEF procure and deliver this life-saving food that is saving lives of children like Luul, every day, every minute.
Make a Resolution for Two today and help save a child's life.