Children
under age five, and expectant and breastfeeding mothers in need of nutritional
stabilization were the first to receive nutrient-rich XANGO meal pack porridge as part of
an AmeriCares-supported supplemental
feeding program in Somalia.
An AmeriCares shipment containing the first of 257,040 supplemental meals—enough to provide 8,568 people facing malnutrition with a daily boost in calories and essential vitamins for one month—is now being distributed among some of the most vulnerable victims of the catastrophic famine gripping the Horn of Africa. The vital nutritional support is part of AmeriCares large scale response to save lives and meet basic health needs throughout the region.
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Feeding Program Educates Mothers,
Tracks Status of Children
The
feeding program, managed by our partner on the ground, is distributing the
meals in settlements in and around Mogadishu, where more than 150,000 people
are seeking refuge.
As
part of the distribution, each child enjoys a plate full of the fortified
porridge, before mothers collect the family’s allotment. Each mother receives training from health
educators on the basic principals of nutrition and childhood development, along
with instructions on how to safely prepare the porridge using boiled potable
water to avoid risk of water-borne illness.
Photo by Mohamed Sheik Nur. All Rights Reserved
A Somalian mother receives a XANGO meal pack
In
addition, each mother receives a ration card, where the distribution date and
allotment of meals are recorded, along with statistics including the weight of
each child and mid-upper arm circumference. This practice helps to measure
and track each child’s nutritional status and progress between distributions.
Since famine was declared in parts of Somalia, Kenya and
Ethiopia this summer, AmeriCares has delivered more than $2 million in aid to
help families struggling to survive in the famine-stricken Horn of Africa, and
is scaling up its programs to help victims combat
illness and severe malnutrition.
