UNICEF warns access to child malnutrition food in Ethiopia, Nigeria could halt by May due to funding crisis

• ​​​​​​'In Nigeria, where around 80,000 children per month require treatment, we could run out of ready-to-use therapeutic food supplies' by the end of May, says official

GENEVA

UNICEF on Friday warned it will run out of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) for children suffering from severe wasting in Ethiopia and Nigeria by May unless urgent funding is secured.

It could have dire consequences for an estimated 74,500 children needing treatment each month, Deputy Executive Director Kitty van der Heijden told a media briefing.

"In Nigeria, where around 80,000 children per month require treatment, we could run out of RUTF supplies sometime between this month and the end of May," she said.

She highlighted how sharp US funding cuts are reversing decades of progress in fighting malnutrition.

"Those hard-earned gains are being rolled back," she said, citing sudden, unannounced reductions that disrupt aid programs.

During recent visits to Ethiopia's Afar region and Maiduguri in Nigeria, van der Heijden witnessed the crisis firsthand. She warned that nearly 1.3 million children under the age of 5 in both countries could lose access to life-saving treatment.

In Afar, where drought and floods are common, only seven of 30 UNICEF-supported mobile health units remain operational due to funding shortages, she said and added that the teams provide critical care, including malnutrition treatment, vaccinations, and essential medicines.

The crisis extends beyond Ethiopia and Nigeria, with UNICEF estimating that 213 million children in 146 countries will require humanitarian aid in 2025. Van der Heijden stressed the need for preventative measures, such as breastfeeding support and micronutrient supplementation, alongside emergency treatment.

She urged governments to act swiftly, warning that delays in aid would increase costs and jeopardize children’s lives. "Investing in children’s survival and wellbeing is not only the right thing to do, it's also the most economically sound choice any government can make," she says