In Honor of National Peanut Butter Day

 

Project Peanut Butter is a Malawi-based nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Mark Manary in 1999.  Since its founding, Project Peanut Butter has provided home-based malnutrition therapeutic care to hundreds of thousands of children in Malawi.  By providing ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), which in Malawi is referred to as Chiponde, at health clinics, Project Peanut Butter continues to be one of the frontrunners in treating acute childhood malnutrition.  Project Peanut Butter has expanded their relief efforts to Sierra Leone.  After reading about this organization below, consider donating to their RUTF production in Sierra Leone.

Can you explain why Project Peanut Butter adopted the home-based therapy program to treat malnutrition?  How does this program work?

Project Peanut Butter’s home-based therapy program is an answer to inpatient programs for malnourished children in Malawi that found poor recovery rates. There are many benefits to home-based therapy: children who do not need to be hospitalized can be treated at home, mothers who are subsistence farmers spend less time in hospitals while their child is being treated, and children treated outside of the hospital are not at risk to get nosocomial infections (infections spread from other patients inside the hospital). The recovery rate for severely malnourished children in home-based therapy is about 90%.

The program works by enrolling children who are severely malnourished as characterized by their weight and height. In general, children who look sick or especially thin are referred by a village health worker to a malnutrition clinic, the children are screened on a set of enrollment criteria, and if they are malnourished, they begin a 6- or 8-week program (on average) for nutritional rehabilitation.

Is Chiponde the same thing as Plumpy’nut?  If there are any differences, can you explain them?

“Chiponde” is the local name for the same, peanut butter-based therapeutic food, literally meaning “paste” or “peanut butter” in Chichewa, the language spoken by Malawians. Scientifically, we refer to Chiponde or Plumpy’nut as Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). There are other names for RUTF: in Sierra Leone the product is colloquially referred to as “kakatuwa,” which means something that is especially effective or potent.

What are the benefits of using Chiponde at Project Peanut Butter’s nutrition centers?

Chiponde, or RUTF is a high-energy, high-protein therapeutic food with a full set of vitamins and minerals. Chiponde is peanut butter-based and does not spoil, does not require cooking or processing, and does not need to be refrigerated. Most children eat chiponde straight from a jar or foil envelope or are fed by their mothers.

In July of 2007, several groups in the United Nations including the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) published a joint statement establishing home-based therapy with RUTF as the best way to treat children with severe malnutrition who do not need to be hospitalized.

Following a diagnosis of severe malnutrition, what treatment does the child undergo at Project Peanut Butter clinics and sites?

Children are given an amount of RUTF chiponde that is proportional to their weight, and the child’s mother is told to bring the child back in two weeks for observation of the child’s progress. The treatment is simple and takes only minimal intervention; we want the program to be as easy and accessible to children as possible.

How does Project Peanut Butter integrate itself with the local communities where Chiponde is produced?

Project Peanut Butter is a thoroughly local program; all of the malnutrition clinics operated by PPB are assisted by village health workers or “Health Surveillance Assistants” (HSAs) who are government employees. Additionally, PPB partners with the Malawian government hospitals who have their own malnutrition clinics all over Southern Malawi, and all of the Chiponde is produced locally in Blantyre, Malawi by an all-Malawian staff with Malawian ingredients.

Does Project Peanut Butter use any other Plumpy products (Supplementary’Plumpy, Plumpy’doz, Nutributter, Plumpy’soy)?

Project Peanut Butter, which also does extensive research about malnutrition and related diseases, is currently using Supplementary’Plumpy (a.k.a. “Supply”) in a study about moderate malnutrition.  Some of these products produced by Nutriset were researched by our staff.

Can you explain Project Peanut Butter’s collaboration with Nutriset and Andre Briend?

The product RUTF and the home-based therapy program are both a result of the work from three entities: researcher Andre Briend who proposed the product, physician Dr. Mark Manary (PPB’s director) who field tested RUTF in Malawi, and the first large-scale producer of RUTF, Nutriset in the South of France.

All three parties are extensively involved today in the fight against childhood malnutrition through research, international aid work, and RUTF production.

How many children has Project Peanut Butter treated at its clinics and sites?  How successful has Chiponde been in Project Peanut Butter’s work to fight childhood malnutrition?

In 2009, the PPB factory in Malawi produced about 650 metric tons of Plumpy’nut, which is enough to treat between 40,000 and 45,000 severely malnourished children. In 2010, Project Peanut Butter will produce between 800 and 1,000 metric tons of Plumpy’nut, which is enough to treat somewhere between 50,000 and 65,000 severely malnourished children.

Additionally, the PPB factory in Freetown, Sierra Leone started industrial-scale production in April 2009 and has produced food for and helped to treat several thousand children.

What’s next for Project Peanut Butter?

PPB will continue its full-time work with a national program for malnourished children in Malawi. Additionally, the production facility in Sierra Leone will expand its capacity this year, and finally an investigation is being made by PPB employees to start a new project in the country of Mali.

This summer we also began a new chapter for PPB, supporting the work of the Little Sisters of Charity and the Sons of Divine Providence in Payatas, Phillipines in treating malnutrition among slum dwellers with tuberculosis. This cooperative venture combines medicinal and nutritonal care for these patients. We are open to continuing this relationship.

Are there any stories about specific children who were saved by Chiponde that you would like to share?

There are many stories about the hard work and dedication of the people we work with in Malawi in Sierra Leone, and at least one story for every child that we treat. All of the stories point to the same goal of helping children who are malnourished who would otherwise not be helped.

What should readers do if they would like to donate to Project Peanut Butter?

They can mail a check or money order to the PPB headquarters at:

Project Peanut Butter

7435 Flora Avenue

Maplewood, MO 63143

Or donate online at www.projectpeanutbutter.org

 

A post from the past! This Nonprofit Spotlight was originally posted on Sept. 30

In Honor of National Peanut Butter Day

 

Project Peanut Butter is a Malawi-based nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Mark Manary in 1999.  Since its founding, Project Peanut Butter has provided home-based malnutrition therapeutic care to hundreds of thousands of children in Malawi.  By providing ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), which in Malawi is referred to as Chiponde, at health clinics, Project Peanut Butter continues to be one of the frontrunners in treating acute childhood malnutrition.  Project Peanut Butter has expanded their relief efforts to Sierra Leone.  After reading about this organization below, consider donating to their RUTF production in Sierra Leone.

Can you explain why Project Peanut Butter adopted the home-based therapy program to treat malnutrition?  How does this program work?

Project Peanut Butter’s home-based therapy program is an answer to inpatient programs for malnourished children in Malawi that found poor recovery rates. There are many benefits to home-based therapy: children who do not need to be hospitalized can be treated at home, mothers who are subsistence farmers spend less time in hospitals while their child is being treated, and children treated outside of the hospital are not at risk to get nosocomial infections (infections spread from other patients inside the hospital). The recovery rate for severely malnourished children in home-based therapy is about 90%.

The program works by enrolling children who are severely malnourished as characterized by their weight and height. In general, children who look sick or especially thin are referred by a village health worker to a malnutrition clinic, the children are screened on a set of enrollment criteria, and if they are malnourished, they begin a 6- or 8-week program (on average) for nutritional rehabilitation.

Is Chiponde the same thing as Plumpy’nut?  If there are any differences, can you explain them?

“Chiponde” is the local name for the same, peanut butter-based therapeutic food, literally meaning “paste” or “peanut butter” in Chichewa, the language spoken by Malawians. Scientifically, we refer to Chiponde or Plumpy’nut as Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). There are other names for RUTF: in Sierra Leone the product is colloquially referred to as “kakatuwa,” which means something that is especially effective or potent.

What are the benefits of using Chiponde at Project Peanut Butter’s nutrition centers?

Chiponde, or RUTF is a high-energy, high-protein therapeutic food with a full set of vitamins and minerals. Chiponde is peanut butter-based and does not spoil, does not require cooking or processing, and does not need to be refrigerated. Most children eat chiponde straight from a jar or foil envelope or are fed by their mothers.

In July of 2007, several groups in the United Nations including the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) published a joint statement establishing home-based therapy with RUTF as the best way to treat children with severe malnutrition who do not need to be hospitalized.

Following a diagnosis of severe malnutrition, what treatment does the child undergo at Project Peanut Butter clinics and sites?

Children are given an amount of RUTF chiponde that is proportional to their weight, and the child’s mother is told to bring the child back in two weeks for observation of the child’s progress. The treatment is simple and takes only minimal intervention; we want the program to be as easy and accessible to children as possible.

How does Project Peanut Butter integrate itself with the local communities where Chiponde is produced?

Project Peanut Butter is a thoroughly local program; all of the malnutrition clinics operated by PPB are assisted by village health workers or “Health Surveillance Assistants” (HSAs) who are government employees. Additionally, PPB partners with the Malawian government hospitals who have their own malnutrition clinics all over Southern Malawi, and all of the Chiponde is produced locally in Blantyre, Malawi by an all-Malawian staff with Malawian ingredients.

Does Project Peanut Butter use any other Plumpy products (Supplementary’Plumpy, Plumpy’doz, Nutributter, Plumpy’soy)?

Project Peanut Butter, which also does extensive research about malnutrition and related diseases, is currently using Supplementary’Plumpy (a.k.a. “Supply”) in a study about moderate malnutrition.  Some of these products produced by Nutriset were researched by our staff.

Can you explain Project Peanut Butter’s collaboration with Nutriset and Andre Briend?

The product RUTF and the home-based therapy program are both a result of the work from three entities: researcher Andre Briend who proposed the product, physician Dr. Mark Manary (PPB’s director) who field tested RUTF in Malawi, and the first large-scale producer of RUTF, Nutriset in the South of France.

All three parties are extensively involved today in the fight against childhood malnutrition through research, international aid work, and RUTF production.

How many children has Project Peanut Butter treated at its clinics and sites?  How successful has Chiponde been in Project Peanut Butter’s work to fight childhood malnutrition?

In 2009, the PPB factory in Malawi produced about 650 metric tons of Plumpy’nut, which is enough to treat between 40,000 and 45,000 severely malnourished children. In 2010, Project Peanut Butter will produce between 800 and 1,000 metric tons of Plumpy’nut, which is enough to treat somewhere between 50,000 and 65,000 severely malnourished children.

Additionally, the PPB factory in Freetown, Sierra Leone started industrial-scale production in April 2009 and has produced food for and helped to treat several thousand children.

What’s next for Project Peanut Butter?

PPB will continue its full-time work with a national program for malnourished children in Malawi. Additionally, the production facility in Sierra Leone will expand its capacity this year, and finally an investigation is being made by PPB employees to start a new project in the country of Mali.

This summer we also began a new chapter for PPB, supporting the work of the Little Sisters of Charity and the Sons of Divine Providence in Payatas, Phillipines in treating malnutrition among slum dwellers with tuberculosis. This cooperative venture combines medicinal and nutritonal care for these patients. We are open to continuing this relationship.

Are there any stories about specific children who were saved by Chiponde that you would like to share?

There are many stories about the hard work and dedication of the people we work with in Malawi in Sierra Leone, and at least one story for every child that we treat. All of the stories point to the same goal of helping children who are malnourished who would otherwise not be helped.

What should readers do if they would like to donate to Project Peanut Butter?

They can mail a check or money order to the PPB headquarters at:

Project Peanut Butter

7435 Flora Avenue

Maplewood, MO 63143

Or donate online at www.projectpeanutbutter.org

 

A post from the past! This Nonprofit Spotlight was originally posted on Sept. 30

In Honor of National Peanut Butter Day

This Nonprofit Spotlight was originally posted 

Project Peanut Butter is a Malawi-based nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Mark Manary in 1999.  Since its founding, Project Peanut Butter has provided home-based malnutrition therapeutic care to hundreds of thousands of children in Malawi.  By providing ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), which in Malawi is referred to as Chiponde, at health clinics, Project Peanut Butter continues to be one of the frontrunners in treating acute childhood malnutrition.  Project Peanut Butter has expanded their relief efforts to Sierra Leone.  After reading about this organization below, consider donating to their RUTF production in Sierra Leone.

Can you explain why Project Peanut Butter adopted the home-based therapy program to treat malnutrition?  How does this program work?

Project Peanut Butter’s home-based therapy program is an answer to inpatient programs for malnourished children in Malawi that found poor recovery rates. There are many benefits to home-based therapy: children who do not need to be hospitalized can be treated at home, mothers who are subsistence farmers spend less time in hospitals while their child is being treated, and children treated outside of the hospital are not at risk to get nosocomial infections (infections spread from other patients inside the hospital). The recovery rate for severely malnourished children in home-based therapy is about 90%.

The program works by enrolling children who are severely malnourished as characterized by their weight and height. In general, children who look sick or especially thin are referred by a village health worker to a malnutrition clinic, the children are screened on a set of enrollment criteria, and if they are malnourished, they begin a 6- or 8-week program (on average) for nutritional rehabilitation.

Is Chiponde the same thing as Plumpy’nut?  If there are any differences, can you explain them?

“Chiponde” is the local name for the same, peanut butter-based therapeutic food, literally meaning “paste” or “peanut butter” in Chichewa, the language spoken by Malawians. Scientifically, we refer to Chiponde or Plumpy’nut as Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). There are other names for RUTF: in Sierra Leone the product is colloquially referred to as “kakatuwa,” which means something that is especially effective or potent.

What are the benefits of using Chiponde at Project Peanut Butter’s nutrition centers?

Chiponde, or RUTF is a high-energy, high-protein therapeutic food with a full set of vitamins and minerals. Chiponde is peanut butter-based and does not spoil, does not require cooking or processing, and does not need to be refrigerated. Most children eat chiponde straight from a jar or foil envelope or are fed by their mothers.

In July of 2007, several groups in the United Nations including the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) published a joint statement establishing home-based therapy with RUTF as the best way to treat children with severe malnutrition who do not need to be hospitalized.

Following a diagnosis of severe malnutrition, what treatment does the child undergo at Project Peanut Butter clinics and sites?

Children are given an amount of RUTF chiponde that is proportional to their weight, and the child’s mother is told to bring the child back in two weeks for observation of the child’s progress. The treatment is simple and takes only minimal intervention; we want the program to be as easy and accessible to children as possible.

How does Project Peanut Butter integrate itself with the local communities where Chiponde is produced?

Project Peanut Butter is a thoroughly local program; all of the malnutrition clinics operated by PPB are assisted by village health workers or “Health Surveillance Assistants” (HSAs) who are government employees. Additionally, PPB partners with the Malawian government hospitals who have their own malnutrition clinics all over Southern Malawi, and all of the Chiponde is produced locally in Blantyre, Malawi by an all-Malawian staff with Malawian ingredients.

Does Project Peanut Butter use any other Plumpy products (Supplementary’Plumpy, Plumpy’doz, Nutributter, Plumpy’soy)?

Project Peanut Butter, which also does extensive research about malnutrition and related diseases, is currently using Supplementary’Plumpy (a.k.a. “Supply”) in a study about moderate malnutrition.  Some of these products produced by Nutriset were researched by our staff.

Can you explain Project Peanut Butter’s collaboration with Nutriset and Andre Briend?

The product RUTF and the home-based therapy program are both a result of the work from three entities: researcher Andre Briend who proposed the product, physician Dr. Mark Manary (PPB’s director) who field tested RUTF in Malawi, and the first large-scale producer of RUTF, Nutriset in the South of France.

All three parties are extensively involved today in the fight against childhood malnutrition through research, international aid work, and RUTF production.

How many children has Project Peanut Butter treated at its clinics and sites?  How successful has Chiponde been in Project Peanut Butter’s work to fight childhood malnutrition?

In 2009, the PPB factory in Malawi produced about 650 metric tons of Plumpy’nut, which is enough to treat between 40,000 and 45,000 severely malnourished children. In 2010, Project Peanut Butter will produce between 800 and 1,000 metric tons of Plumpy’nut, which is enough to treat somewhere between 50,000 and 65,000 severely malnourished children.

Additionally, the PPB factory in Freetown, Sierra Leone started industrial-scale production in April 2009 and has produced food for and helped to treat several thousand children.

What’s next for Project Peanut Butter?

PPB will continue its full-time work with a national program for malnourished children in Malawi. Additionally, the production facility in Sierra Leone will expand its capacity this year, and finally an investigation is being made by PPB employees to start a new project in the country of Mali.

This summer we also began a new chapter for PPB, supporting the work of the Little Sisters of Charity and the Sons of Divine Providence in Payatas, Phillipines in treating malnutrition among slum dwellers with tuberculosis. This cooperative venture combines medicinal and nutritonal care for these patients. We are open to continuing this relationship.

Are there any stories about specific children who were saved by Chiponde that you would like to share?

There are many stories about the hard work and dedication of the people we work with in Malawi in Sierra Leone, and at least one story for every child that we treat. All of the stories point to the same goal of helping children who are malnourished who would otherwise not be helped.

What should readers do if they would like to donate to Project Peanut Butter?

They can mail a check or money order to the PPB headquarters at:

Project Peanut Butter

7435 Flora Avenue

Maplewood, MO 63143

Or donate online at www.projectpeanutbutter.org

 

Tackling Malnutrition, One Step at a Time

 

“It is a very sad part of my own personal history that I have seen children die of malnutrition, fading into [nothingness]. There is a look in the children’s eyes with malnutrition that is one of innocent disbelief. . .young innocent souls that almost [literally] say, ‘I just want food. Why can’t I have food?’ I ask the same question and I also have no that makes any bit of logical sense.”  

As I was researching childhood malnutrition treatment in India last semester, the founder of an Indian medical NGO shared with me this quote.  My research has taken me on quite the journey, and I’ve had the incredible opportunity to speak with health workers and malnutrition advocates in multiple countries about access to RUTF in India.  As I wrote my paper, I came across this video (above) on the SAM India Project site.  This organization is committed to “building awareness and combating the crisis of severe acute malnutrition among children in India.” Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rates in India are among the highest in the world.  I wanted to share this video with Plumpy’nut Press readers because it outlines multiple steps that be taken to systematically reduce the pervasiveness of SAM in our world. My next few postings will more fully explore these steps and provide additional learning resources.  Stay tuned for step one: Addressing Malnutrition in Young Women and Mothers.

Walk Down Memory Lane

I can’t believe I haven’t shared this Walk for Plumpy’nut video on Plumpy’nut Press yet! Makes me smile every time.  Thanks again to everyone who has supported the walk over the past five years. I was sampling Plumpy’nut with people yesterday at a food fair on campus and it was so exciting to hear how many people are already excited for next year’s walk! Let the countdown begin to next October!  Until then, some good memories to warm your soul on this first day of December.

 

 

Many thanks to JP Keenan and Sam Mason for this video! You guys rock.

“I need to ask for space to be made for them”

Raquel Marín - New York Times

I wanted to share with you this moving piece by Denise Brown, Country Director for the World Food Program.  It’s a glimpse into the role that women are allowed in supporting their children and community in the face of extreme hunger. As you can tell from the title of this post, the part that spoke to me the most is that in most villages, the public space isn’t even there for women to contribute to the discussion.  Yet, simply by asking for the women’s input, they nudged forward and shuffled to make their voices heard.  How can we continue to crack the openings for this space and hear what women have to say in fighting hunger?

Any one of those women could be me, or she could be you. The child strapped to the mother’s back, with the hacking cough and the tired eyes, could be my child, or yours.

 To read the full New York Times piece, click here.

Giving 100% to 50/50

"Untitled" by Elliot Kealoha and Akemi Blanchard

As Thanksgiving Break nears and we’re all suffering from a little cold weather weariness, I have just the thing that will warm your soul with more goodness than a mug of bubbling hot chocolate and marshmallows.  Browsing AdAge this evening, I came across the 50/50 Project, a campaign to launch 50 projects in 50 days – all with the goal of fighting famine in East Africa.  With challenges ranging from the Facebook Famine to Kids Draw for East Africa, this campaign is bursting with enough inspiration, creativity, and innovation to last far more than 50 days. All of the funds raised, over $65,000 to date, will support UNICEF. To learn more about how you can make the 50 days count, follow this link.

The photo on the left featured is part of a stunning collection limited-edition posters made by 50 different artists, all for $50.  Some of the most beautiful artwork I’ve seen and perfect for Christmas presents! To see more posters, click here.

RUTF Use in India

"A malnourished 21-month-old boy named Satish and his mother, Leela, at the Shivpuri feeding center last November." - All photo credit goes to Ruth Fremson from The New York Times "As Indian Growth Soars, Child Hunger Persists"

Hello Plumpy’nut Press readers!  Given the feedback on my post The Crisis in India, I’ve decided to do much more in-depth research on this issue. I’m currently enrolled in a Politics of Development class and for my final research assignment, I selected to explore the divergent opinions in India versus Ethopia regarding the use of Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods like Plumpy’nut.  While Ethiopia has welcomed the use of Plumpy’nut and is the recipient country of all money raised by the Walk for Plumpy’nut, India has banned its use in the country. Rather, India’s Ministry for Women and Child Development advocates its Integrated Child Development Scheme’s (ICDS) use of hot cooked meals as the ideal nutrition supplement.  If you have any resources or contacts you’d like to recommend regarding this issue, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Stay tuned for more info on my research’s progress. . . and a big thank you for your curiosity in learning more!

5 Years, $20,000 for Plumpy’nut!

Wow! What a whirlwind of a year for Food for Thought!  I’m beyond thrilled to announce that Food for Thought reached its goal this year to raise at least $4,000 for Plumpy’nut.  Now that this year’s Walk for Plumpy’nut has passed, we can officially announce that we’ve raised over $20,000 to support Concern Worldwide’s feeding centers throughout Ethiopia. Sylvia Wong, Concern Worldwide’s Education Officer, made the journey from New York City to teach participants about how acute childhood malnutrition is diagnosed and treated.  We were so happy she could join us!

Between the beautiful weather and beautiful souls at the walk, it was easily one of the happiest days I can imagine.  Cass Park burst with energy and was booming with laughter and music as Ithaca College students and friends joined together on Saturday, October 8th. “The only way I can describe my feelings during the event was that my heart was happy, I felt fulfilled,” Smith, Food for Thought’s assistant Communications Director, says. John Vogan, Secretary of Food for Thought, added “We helped support a very important and worthwhile cause while having fun at the same time,” he says.

Thanks to Jake Lifschultz and Deanna Dearo’s photography, we have some photos to share from the wonderful day!

Plumpy’nut in Somalia – An Update from CESVI

Turn on CNN or World News or glance at the front-page of any major newspaper and you’re sure to learn of the worsening situation in the Horn of Africa.  A devastating famine is ravaging the region.  Somalia is bearing the brunt of the crisis with nearly 4 million people at risk of starvation.  In the past 90 days, 29,000 Somali children have fallen victim to the worst food crisis to hit the region in six decades.  Irene Moora, a Nutrition Specialist from CESVI, an Italian humanitarian organization, returned from Galkayo, Somalia just a few days ago and shares with Plumpy’nut Press readers the situation in the region.  Irene spent her time in Somalia working with a project funded by UNICEF that seeks to ensure access to quality emergency health and nutrition services in rural and semi-rural areas in South Mudug.  Read on below and to continue this conversation with @cesvinairobi!

You just returned from Galkayo, Somalia, can you tell Plumpy’nut Press readers about what the situation is like there?

The situation in Galkayo is critical and it’s marked with increased number of admissions of severely acute malnourished under five children to inpatient and outpatient therapeutic care nutrition programmes. The rising admissions could be attributed to several prevailing factors including diseases, inadequate dietary intakes, food insecurity, and poor sanitation among others.

Food access for most households is poor due to reduced purchasing power and ever rising food prices for both local and imported food products. The prices are likely to skyrocket during the Ramadan season due to the increasing demand for food. The population in Galkayo depends on livestock for their livelihoods. The animal health is currently deteriorating as a result of diminishing pasture and lack of water. This has in turn reduced milk production of these animals.

What is CESVI doing to provide relief in the Horn of Africa?

CESVI is scaling up its health and nutrition activities in its already existing programmes to increase coverage. We are also identifying new geographical areas where there are gaps to start up health and nutrition intervention programmes in both Kenya and Somalia.

What kind of nutrition programs did you work with in Somalia?

CESVI has an ongoing outpatient therapeutic nutrition programme. This programme targets under five children with MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference) < 11.5cm or z-score <-3 without complications as the admission criteria. The beneficiaries meeting this criterion are followed up weekly and provided with Plumpy’nut ration.

Can you tell Plumpy’nut Press readers about how Plumpy’nut is being used in Somalia?

Every child who meets the admission criteria to the outpatient therapeutic care programme is admitted to the nutrition programme. Upon admission, the health staff carry out a Plumpy’nut  appetite test for all the children. If the test is good, the children are given a week’s ration of Plumpy’nut where they are supposed to consume a certain number of satchets per day depending on their body weight. They are then given a return date on a weekly basis to review their progress during the treatment period. If there are no underlying conditions, children are able to recover within a period of 2 months from malnutrition.

Why are children the most vulnerable victims to famine?

Children under the age of five are at their early age of growth and development. During this stage, their nutrient needs are higher than later ages in life. Equally, the children are very active at early ages; therefore their nutrient intake should be able to meet body requirements. In famine, food security is greatly compromised and children are massively affected as the nutrient intake is much lower compared to body needs.

What can be done in the long-term to make sure a situation this futile doesn’t happen again? What can Plumpy’nut Press readers do to help?

For short term, Plumpy’nut may be used to manage and treat malnutrition.  However, it is important to implement integrated interventions to address the immediate, underlying and basic causes of malnutrition as presented in the UNICEF conceptual framework of causes of malnutrition.

Long-term interventions may include:

• Harvesting and storage of water to be used during dry spells
• Improved access to health care
• Health promotion on hygiene and sanitation
• Health education on infant and young child caring practices
• Education for all