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STORY: MALAWI / EL NINO MALNUTRITION
TRT: 01:43
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 17 FEBRUARY 2016 CHIKWAWA DISTRICT, SOUTHERN MALAWI
1. Med shot, Teresa holding Edward as his upper arm is measured
2. Close up, Teresa holding Edward as his upper arm is measured
3. Med shot, Teresa feeding Edward ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF)
4. Close up, Teresa feeding Edward RUTF
5. Med shot, another mother feeds her child RUTF
6. Wide shot, a child eats RUTF alongside his mother
7. Close up, a child eats RUTF alongside his mother
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sangita Jacob, Chief of Nutrition, UNICEF Malawi:
“The whole cycle or vicious cycle of malnutrition hits the children and children become severe acute malnourished in the process, which is nine times more vulnerable to death and also it is the life threatening part of malnutrition, so it's cause of concern for Malawi.”
9. Close up, Teresa prepares a maize meal
10. Close up, Teresa’s face as she prepares a maize meal
11. Wide shot, Teresa prepares a maize meal
12. Close up, Teresa stirs the meal
13. Wide shot, Teresa pours the meal
14. Close up, Teresa pours the meal
15. Close up, Teresa scoops some of the maize meal on a spoon
16. Close up, Teresa feeds her child the meal
17. Wide shot, Teresa feeds her child the meal
The deepening hunger crisis in Malawi is threatening the survival of children, with latest statistics on severe acute malnutrition (SAM) showing a 100 per cent increase from December 2015 to January 2016.
UNICEF tracks the cases each month, gathering from all districts across the country. In January 2016, 4324 cases of severe malnutrition were recorded across the country, which is more than double the cases in December 2015.
Malawi is facing its worst food crisis in nine years, with 2.8 million people (more than 16 per cent of the population) at risk of hunger. Two years of erratic rain and drought have combined with one of the most powerful El Niño events in years to wreak havoc on the lives of the most vulnerable children.
The challenging economic environment in Malawi has put basics out of reach for many families, which, coupled with the very high price of maize and countrywide shortages, have exposed millions of people to to food insecurity and hunger. This has forced families, the majority of whom are subsistence farmers, to implement coping mechanisms such as reducing the frequency of meals and selling off assets.
UNICEF is responding to the emergency by supporting the Government of Malawi to ensure young children are screened regularly for malnutrition, and if necessary treated to prevent severe acute malnutrition threatening lives.
