Treating child malnutrition across Uganda’s refugee settlements with Plumpy’Nut

We’ve been working for several years with our amazing partners, Edesia, to supply regular container loads of Plumpy'nut to all of UNHCR’s Uganda refugee settlements. Plumpy’nut is a therapeutic food that treats severe and acute malnutrition.  Through Edesia’s donated supplies, we are filling a critical gap in the UNHCR supply line allowing thousands of refugee children to receive this life-saving therapeutic food every year.  Before HHA and Edesia’s response there were regular stock outs of this critical supplement across settlements. In the last few years through your support, we've been able to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Earlier in 2022, our latest shipment of 1,710 cartons of Plumpy’nut arrived in Uganda with two thirds already distributed across the settlements through UNHCR channels. With global acute malnutrition rising, especially among vulnerable communities like refugees, this supply of Plumy’nut is a lifeline for thousands of children in Uganda. It’s also helped UNHCR is their response to an alarming number of new refugees fleeing violence in 2022 who’ve fled to Uganda from DRC and South Sudan, with over 70,000 new arrivals already this year.  This emergency has stretched the capacity of aid agencies and we are grateful our work with Edesia is helping to meet some of the needs providing support at health centres and transit and reception centres that welcome new refugees as they cross the border.

On a field visit HHA recently met this little girl, receiving life-saving support from our Plumpy’Nut partnership.  ‘P’ is 2 years old and was admitted to hospital in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement as an inpatient due to her severe and acute malnutrition.  Her mother (24 years of age) explained that she’d noticed her child becoming weak and swollen to the point where she was unable to sit up.  She subsequently visited a health outpost who referred her to the inpatient facility, 14km from their home.  Since receiving Plumpy’Nut the mother shared, ‘I’m very happy to see my baby get stronger. ‘P’ can now sit up, the swelling is reducing and she is able to smile again. I hope that one day my baby will become a teacher.’