SAHEL / NUTRITION UPDATE

It rains only once a year in the Sahel. Last year it didn't rain enough and according to UNICEF, that means that over ten million people may not have enough to eat. The agency and its partners are preparing for a crisis that could see more than a million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. UNICEF

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:12
• Production Date: 26 March 2012
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF
• Subject Topical: HEALTH; NUTRITION; HEALTH SERVICES
• Geographic Subject: AFRICA; AFRICA
• MAMS Id: U120326c

Description

STORY: SAHEL / NUTRITION UPDATE
TRT: 2.12
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: FILE

Shotlist

FILE – 21 JANUARY 2102, NIGER

1. Wide shot, people stacking stalks of grains
2. Close up, stalks of grains

FILE - MARCH 2012, MALI

3. Wide shot, man drives cart

FILE - 9 FEBRUARY 2012, MAURITANIA

4. Med shot, woman in village
5. Med shot, baby lying on rug

FILE - 23 FEBRUARY 2012, NEW YORK

6. SOUNDBITE (English) David Gressly, UNICEF Regional Director, West and Central Africa:
“We estimate that there will be in 2012 over a million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, and what's important to know is that malnutrition can kill.”

FILE - 9 FEBRUARY 2012, MAURITANIA

7. Medium shot, mother with baby

FILE - 21 JANUARY 2012, NIGER

8. Close up, person gathers food

FILE - 9 FEBRUARY 2012, MAURITANIA

9. Wide shot, cow herd
10. Med shot, tilling ground

FILE - 2 MARCH 2012, SUDAN

11. Various shots, grains being sold and packed in a bag
12. Various shots, nutritional supplies being unpacked

FILE - MARCH 2012, MALI

13. Med shot, mothers arrive at clinic

23 FEBRUARY 2012, NEW YORK

14. SOUNDBITE (English) David Gressly, UNICEF Regional Director, West and Central Africa:
“April to June is when this will really start to build up as a crisis. So what we're doing now is being in a position to do so when it does happen.”

FILE - 21 JANUARY 2012, NIGER

15. Med shot, UNICEF officer with villagers

FILE - 9 FEBRUARY 2012, MAURITANIA

16. Med shot, mother with babies
17. Various shots, boy’s arm being measured

23 FEBRUARY 2012, NEW YORK

18. SOUNDBITE (English) David Gressly, UNICEF Regional Director, West and Central Africa:
“Basically we're looking at three phases here. First looking at the response phase, the emergency response to deal with this increase in malnutrition in the eight countries we're talking about. Secondly building up safety nets in each of the countries, as has been done already in Niger to capture the malnutrition we see this year, but probably will see in future years. And the third is to deal with the chronic nature of problem, building up resilience to this in the future and starting to deal with some of the underlying factors.”

FILE - JANUARY 21, 2012, NIGER

19. Various shots, village life

FILE - 9 FEBRUARY 2012, MAURITANIA

20. Wide shot, farmers tilling barren field

Storyline

It rains only once a year in the Sahel. Last year it didn't rain enough and not enough rain means more than 10 million people in the countries of the region may not have enough to eat.

SOUNDBITE (English) David Gressly, UNICEF Regional Director, West and Central Africa:
“We estimate that there will be in 2012 over a million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, and what's important to know is that malnutrition can kill.”

Many natural disasters strike without warning, but the Sahel is different. Life here, just south of the Sahara, is profoundly fragile. Add in rising food prices and failed harvests, and the ingredients for a crisis are in place.

But it’s a crisis that can be predicted and prepared for. UNICEF began to do just that last year, buying and shipping large quantities of therapeutic food and medicine, hiring extra staff, and helping regional governments make contingency prepare.

SOUNDBITE (English) David Gressly, UNICEF Regional Director, West and Central Africa
“April to June is when this will really start to build up as a crisis. So what we're doing now is being in a position to do so when it does happen.”

UNICEF is watching the crisis closely so that it can calibrate its response, and ensure that children receive not just food, but appropriate therapeutic and medical treatment so that the crisis will not jeopardize their long-term development.

SOUNDBITE (English) David Gressly, UNICEF Regional Director, West and Central Africa
“Basically we're looking at three phases here. First looking at the response phase, the emergency response to deal with this increase in malnutrition in the eight countries we're talking about. Secondly building up safety nets in each of the countries, as has been done already in Niger to capture the malnutrition we see this year, but probably will see in future years. And the third is to deal with the chronic nature of problem, building up resilience to this in the future and starting to deal with some of the underlying factors.”

While the situation in the Sahel has not become a famine yet, only early action will prevent further deterioration of the food security situation and avoid a full-scale food and nutrition crisis.