Lifesaving Plumpy'Nut for Children in the Sahel

This week I am traveling in Niger in West Africa with my Director of Operations, Maria Kasparian. We are getting an up-close look at nutrition programs that use Plumpy'Nut to treat cases of severe acute malnutrition. But first, we visited our PlumpyField partner factory, STA, which is located in Niamey, the capital city.

STA's operation is so impressive. This year, they will supply enough Plumpy'Nut to fully treat 300,000 severely malnourished children in Niger. In operation since 2005, STA now employs 150 people. While they save lives, they are also lifting up the local economy. 

Today, I just wanted to share with you this photo (above) I took of STA's fearless leader, Madame Cisse, who makes the success of her factory possible. 

In 2012 so far, Edesia's factory in Providence, Rhode Island has produced and shipped nearly 85,000 boxes of Plumpy'Nut to countries in West Africa. That is enough to save the lives of 85,000 children. 

As you already know conflict, drought, and rising food prices throughout the vast Sahel region have spurned a food crisis that needs the world's urgent attention. We thank you for your continued support, and for sharing our project with your colleagues, family, and friends. Together, we can make sure that each child in the Sahel is kept safe from harm.

An update from UNICEF came into my inbox on Monday, which I wanted to share with you. It's an update on the crisis for children and families in the Sahel region of Africa, where it is still estimated that 1 million children under the age of five are in danger of experiencing severe acute malnutrition. The report also notes that 3 million children soon will be diagnosed with moderate acute malnutrition, an only slightly less dangerous condition for a growing child. 

According to UNICEF, the number of health centers with facilities for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition across the Sahel has been scaled up from 3,100 in 2011 to over 4000 currently.

Each of these 4,000 health centers cannot be as effective without robust supplies of Plumpy'Nut. We appreciate your continued support of our project, which helps us to send as much of this lifesaving, nutritionally complete peanut paste as possible to organizations like UNICEF. 

Plumpy'Nut is the most effective therapy that doctors and community health workers can give to malnourished children. It is endorsed by the World Health Organization. Thank you for sharing our project with friends and colleagues. Collectively, we can do something to help ease the pain of this crisis for children and their families in the Sahel. 

Links:

• UNICEF Situation Report for the Sahel