Malnutrition kills children as USAID cuts funding for aid programs
- Due to USAID funding cuts, organizations providing nutritional support in Nigeria have had to reduce their programs significantly.
- The lack of support has led to increased mortality rates among malnourished children, with UNICEF and other agencies reporting overwhelming admission rates daily.
- The situation illustrates the severe consequences of international aid funding cuts, putting vulnerable populations at greater risk.
In Nigeria's Borno state, a tragic story unfolds as one twin dies from severe malnutrition after significant cuts to humanitarian aid funding. These cuts, largely attributed to the Trump administration's changes in fiscal policy, took effect significantly affecting organizations like Mercy Corps and Helen Keller Intl that provided essential nutritional support. The region faces immense crisis due to restrictions on farming as Boko Haram insurgency forces communities into designated safe zones. In these zones, families struggle to find adequate nutrition, and the overwhelming toll is visible through the rising mortality rates among children. As the support from USAID diminished, programs that provided calorie-dense therapeutic foods were interrupted, leading to a health disaster. The capacity of existing feeding centers, such as those operated by UNICEF, is stretched thin with at least ten newly admitted severely malnourished children daily. Health worker Ayuba Kauji expressed significant concerns over increasing mortality among children due to the inadequacy of resources and the severe impacts of funding cuts that obliterated previously hard-won progress in treating malnourished infants. Moreover, organizations like Intersos have been compelled to reduce their workforce dramatically, highlighting the widespread operational downsizing that emerges due to a lack of funds. Many health care professionals have left amid this crisis, leaving facilities undermanned and resources scant to address the burgeoning needs of vulnerable populations. There's an urgent sentiment among aid supervisors emphasizing the direct correlation between funding cuts and the threat to children's lives, echoing the stark reality faced by families like Bulama's. This situation not only points to malnutrition and immediate health needs but sets a chilling precedent, raising alarms that vulnerable individuals may resort to joining violent groups as a means of coping with their dire circumstances. The lack of additional funding sources further complicates relief efforts as aid organizations struggle to find ways to adapt to dwindling resources. The humanitarian crisis continues to be exacerbated by these cuts, leaving communities in Borno state with an uncertain future filled with dread and looming dangers for the survival of their children.