On May 18, 2023, the TY Danjuma Foundation and its partner Social Welfare Network Initiative (SWNI) embarked on a food distribution targeted at vulnerable households at Wassa IDP settlement in the Federal Capital Territory. The goal of the food distribution was to mitigate malnutrition among children under-five, pregnant women, and lactating mothers displaced due to the humanitarian crisis in the northeast of the country.
UNICEF notes that Nigeria is among the 15 countries with catastrophic levels of severe malnutrition in children under five and has the second highest burden of stunted children globally, with a countrywide prevalence of 32% among under-five children. Two million children in Nigeria are estimated to suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), but only two out of every ten children receive treatment. Additionally, 7% of women of reproductive age are estimated to be acutely malnourished.
A Mother and Her Children at Wassa IDP Camp
At Wassa IDP settlement, evidence of malnutrition is visible amongst the internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing insecurity in the northeast. As explained by the leader of the settlement, it is challenging for households to buy nutritious food, especially to feed children under-five due to limited sources of generating income and the soaring food prices in and around the Federal Capital Territory.
In this first round of distribution at the IDP settlement, 400 households received food packages including beans, corn, sorghum, groundnut oil, and soya bean powder to cater for their immediate nutritional needs. In collaboration with the Primary Health Care Board, pregnant and lactating women were trained on best practices for infant and young child feeding in emergency (IYCF-E) and how to prepare healthy and nutritious meals through interactive sessions and the use of IEC materials.
Food distribution in Wassa IDP Camp
Since its inception, the TY Danjuma Foundation has awarded $41.5 million in grants and implemented over 340 projects across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, reaching more than 10 million people.