Save the Children International, SCI has appealed to the international community to help children who are severely malnourished so they can receive the urgent support they need by increasing flexible funding to treat severe acute malnutrition and strengthen national and global supply chains.
This is because the collapse in nutrition funding globally has been predicted to cut off treatment for 15.6 million people across 18 countries including over 2.3 million severely malnourished children in 2025 and predicted to continue to deteriorate in 2026 and this has increased the significantly the number of cases.
Report says, Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is an energy-dense, micronutrient paste typically made using peanuts, sugar, milk powder, oil, vitamins and minerals that is packaged in foil pouches with a long shelf life and no need of refrigeration.
A statement made public by Save the Children International says that, over the past 30 years the emergency therapeutic food has saved the lives of millions of children facing acute malnutrition, noting that, “severely undernourished child is nine times more likely to die from common infections than a well-nourished child.
“In Nigeria for instance, Save the Children said “it requires at least 3,000 cartons of RUTF every month for its ongoing malnutrition programmes but significant funding cuts in 2025 have multiplied the severity of needs and limited access to much-needed lifesaving support”.
It says across Nigeria, an estimated 3.5 million children under five are experiencing severe acute malnutrition and are at risk of death if they do not receive timely treatment and nutrition support, with northeast and northwest Nigeria most affected.
And in Nairobi, Kenya, at least four countries in Africa, including Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan, may run out of ready-to-use emergency food over the next three months due to aid cuts if gaps are not plugged, it will put severely malnourished children at risk of dying, Save the Children said.
According to the statement, the country needs at least 629,000 cartons of RUTF to treat children who are severely wasted – or dangerously thin for their height – during the June-November lean season between harvests but so far only 64% of this has been secured.
“Children in northern Kenya, particularly in Turkana county, are increasingly vulnerable to escalating malnutrition and food insecurity because of repeated droughts and floods”it says.
It notes that during Kenya’s rainy season, which ran from March to May, the situation was expected to deteriorate with an estimated 2.8 million people likely to experience high levels of acute food insecurity – a 6% increase in the population classified as being in crisis or worse “In Kenya, about 105,000 cartons of RUTF are needed to treat severely malnourished children through to the end of 2025.
However, only about 79,000 – or 77% of the needs – have been met and stocks are expected to run out this October”.
Sister Winnie, who runs a health clinic supported by Save the Children in Turkana said her clinic has been severely affected by US aid cuts and she has tried to source therapeutic food from elsewhere to prevent a shortage “We have tried to source therapeutic food out from other facilities that have commodities so that we can fully support our children who are very, very malnourished.
And if they are not supported, I know very soon the country will be losing them.”In Somalia, close to 1.8 million children – or nearly half of all children under 5 – are at risk of malnutrition with 1 in 8 children under five suffering from the deadliest form which requires RUTF treatment, or even admission to a stabilization centre for life-saving care.
SCI stated that despite the needs, only 39% of the required nutrition funding for 2025 has been received, with the UN warning that September marks a critical turning point, with most aid agencies likely to face significant disruption to their nutrition programmes or be forced to scale down their support.
“Children suffering from malnutrition are starting to feel the impact of dwindling funds”.
Report says, Fifteen-month-old Dalmar was vulnerable to illness due to his premature birth.
He was urgently admitted to a Save the Children supported stabilisation centre with malnutrition after being screened at home by Save the Children community worker Hafsa.
It explained further that, the stabilisation centre at the local hospital where Dalmar was admitted treats children under five who are malnourished and the service is offered for free explaining that,they are usually given special therapeutic milk and therapeutic peanut paste (RUTF) which helps them quickly regain their strength and protect against illnesses and infection.
Report has it that, due to recent funding cuts, the centre had to feed Dalmar a substitute therapeutic milk, which staff were concerned led to slower recovery times for children in their care.
Dalmar was discharged after staying at the stabilization centre for eight days.