Malnutrition

Have any of you wanted to travel to a different country? Well, here at Action Against Hunger, many of our staff members visit our programs in countries all over the world. Not everyone is able to make the trips to our international locations, but those who do travel are required to keep notes on what they see and what they do in the field. Then, once back in New York, they update us on the information gathered so we can better understand the day-to-day activities in the field.

One of my favorite stories – and one very indicative of the work we do – is about Nico, a boy who received treatment in one of our nutrition programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Before Nico received care in Action Against Hunger’s therapeutic nutrition program, he was suffering from severe acute malnutrition. This type of malnutrition is very serious and can lead to death if left untreated. Nico was so sick he couldn’t go to school, play with his friends or even find the strength to move around.

Thankfully, Nico’s mother brought him to an Action Against Hunger feeding program in a village nearby. Here, Nico received treatment using ready-to-use therapeutic foods -- or RUFs. One type of RUF regularly used by Action Against Hunger is Plumpy’Nut - a peanut-based formula packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are easily digested by starving bodies. In the next couple of weeks, I will blog some more about Plumpy’nut, but for now it’s important to know that even though RUFs are more expensive than traditional types of food aid, they are easier to prepare, faster to deploy, and most importantly, they empower parents since they can use the products themselves at home.