På trods af god regn i store dele af Sahel i år, forventes antallet af fejlernærede børn i regionen at ramme de 1,4 millioner i 2013 – i dele af Niger har børn måttet leve af vilde bær og selv i et “godt år” dør 230.000 børn i denne karrige del af Vestafrika.
DAKAR, 20 December 2012 (IRIN): Despite good rains across much of the Sahel this year, 1,4 million children are expected to be malnourished – up from one million in 2012, according to the 2013 Sahel regional strategy.
The strategy, which calls on donors to provide 1,6 billion US dollar of aid for 2013, says fewer people are expected to go hungry in 2013 – 10,3 million instead of 18,7 million in 2012.
Harvests across much of the Sahel were fairly good this year following more steady rains, but vulnerability remain as the 2012 crisis, on the back of crises in 2005 and 2010, left many families heavily indebted, with severely depleted assets (formindskede værdier), and with no seeds to plant.
The number of malnourished children being targeted is rising partly because absorbing the 2012 shock takes time and food prices remain high; and because the illness is linked to health care services, caring practices and access to clean water, not just food security.
“Maybe not getting worse, but a more clear view”
Another major reason why estimates have risen is because governments and agencies are widening the scope of nutrition surveys to include as yet un-assessed areas.
This includes a larger proportion of northern Nigeria; and more thorough analysis in Senegal, Burkina Faso and Mauritania, which could each expect higher figures, said Manuel Fontaine, acting West Africa director of UNICEF.
“It is not that the problem is necessarily getting worse, but the extent to which we are able to see it is getting better, as we develop our capacity to do surveys,” Fontaine told IRIN.
While 20.000 children in Senegal were estimated to be severely malnourished in 2012, this number is expected to double in 2013.
“It is not often understood that even with good rains, severe problems will remain for the Sahel,” said David Gressly, humanitarian coordinator for the Sahel.
Production of rice, sorghum (durra), corn and millet (hirse) in 2012 was on average 18 percent higher than the five-year average in the Sahel, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme.
An abyss of death
In a good year in the Sahel some 230.000 children will die, either directly or indirectly, from malnutrition.
Since September 2012 SMART nutrition surveys have taken place, or are currently under way, in almost all the affected countries.
Malnutrition rates in northern Mali – already at record-highs – are expected to remain so or rise further.
Meanwhile, population growth across the Sahel means that the number of malnourished children will inevitably rise. “The population in Niger doubles every 25 years – so of course malnutrition will also increase,” said Fontaine.
However, numbers may drop in some areas, including parts of Niger, where the government has improved its ability to deal with malnutrition.
2012 crisis not over
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