Blip

About this episode

GURAGE ZONE, Ethiopia, 25 June 2008 -- Mubarek weighed barely 3.5 kg when he arrived at the Kuno Alimena Health Post in Ethiopia's drought-affected Gurage Zone. His weight would be average for a newborn baby, but as a toddler, he weighs approximately one-third of what he should. His diagnosis is severe acute malnutrition. Still, Mubarek was lucky; his mother brought him to the weekly UNICEF-supported therapeutic feeding programme that has been set up to save the lives of severely malnourished children. He did not have medical complications that would require clinical treatment and was able to begin home-based care, receiving weekly rations of ready-to-use therapeutic foods. Children are the most vulnerable to nutritional deficits and the first to succumb when there is not enough food at home. Those with severe acute malnutrition have a 25 to 50 per cent chance of dying if they don't receive proper treatment. UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Hilde F. Johnson visited Guraghe Zone during her recent trip to drought-affected areas of southern Ethiopia. She concluded her trip by calling for immediate help to feed malnourished children and their families. To read the full story, visit: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ethiopia_44623.html

• Release Date

  Jun 30, 2008

• Runtime

  01:46