The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) is appealing for 60 million dollars to avert alarming severe acute malnutrition projected to affect millions of children in South Sudan next year.
The organisation warned that children mostly in Greater Upper Nile and part Northern of Bahr El Ghazal might die in 2021 if the needed resources were not met.
According to UNICEF, over 113,000 children are expected to suffer acute malnutrition next year due to impact of flooding and lack of accessibility impeding humanitarian service delivery to population in need across the country.
“Now if we don’t have resources or we don’t have access because of flooding and insecurity, know that unfortunately, children who are suffering from acute malnutrition without treatment might be dying,” Yves Willemot, UNICEF South Sudan Chief Communication warned.
UNICEF says most of its therapeutic centres in Jonglei region were severely affected with most of the centers destroyed, exacerbated alarming severe acute malnutrition in South Sudan.
This year UNICEF needed $16million from $197 million of its humanitarian budget to support nutrition, offer prevention and treatment services. The UN Agency now says the need has increased, requiring more donors’ support to curb the situation.
“Half of the therapeutic centers we are running with our partners were not operating because of flooding and insecurity. So it is a question of money and it is also question of accessibility.
“We do hope that the donor communities will be responsive as they have been this year. Now that the needs have grown, we believe that their financial contribution will also grow.” Yves said.
The organization this year treated at least 170, 000 severe acute malnutrition cases, over 40 percent recovered with support from donor communities such as UNAIDS and UKAID.