Good results for UNICEF nutrition programme

In the Central African Republic, 214,000 children under the age of 5 are at risk of acute malnutrition. UNICEF is focusing on the treatment of these malnourished children through the nutrition programme ‘A forgotten crisis’. In 2022, Van den Bosch committed itself for two years to this initiative. Partly thanks to this support, various results have already been achieved by mid-2022. 

The humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) deteriorated during the crisis of the 2021 election period. The violence that erupted in the aftermath of the elections has had a devastating effect on the civilian population. As a result, 1.9 million people are in acute need, and more than half of the population is in need of humanitarian aid and protection. UNICEF is contributing to this by focusing on the treatment of malnourished children, educating parents, and providing vitamin A supplements.

Health district Sangha-Mbaéré
The situation has especially worsened in the remote Sangha-Mbaéré district, in the southwest of the CAR. Access to health and nutrition services for the local population is a challenge, mainly due to a shortage of care providers and low-level involvement of the local community. It is crucially important to build the capacity of healthcare workers. So too is the involvement of the community in conducting screenings and referral for treatment. UNICEF is taking part in the fight against malnutrition in the Central African Republic through the nutrition programme, specifically in the Sangha-Mbaéré district. 

Objectives and results
Thanks to the support of donors such as Van den Bosch, UNICEF can train health workers in screening children for malnutrition and providing information on good nutrition and health. They have been able to achieve the following results since the beginning of 2022:

• 15 health professionals have been trained in the areas of screening, referral, malnutrition follow-up and the promotion of the IYCF guidelines. 'Infant and Young Child Feeding' focuses on what, when and how young children are fed during the first two years of life.
• More than 16,000 healthcare providers were given advice on IYCF.
• 12 health professionals have been trained in the treatment of malnutrition and the promotion of good nutrition and healthy living.
• Almost 9,000 children with severely acute malnourishment were admitted for treatment.
• More than 6,500 children with moderately acute malnourishment were admitted for treatment.

Fight against malnutrition
CEO Rico Daandels explains the support for the nutrition programme: "Food transport is one of our daily activities as a logistics service provider. In Europe, but also in Africa and beyond. In our Corporate Social Responsibility programme, we prioritise nutrition, because issues such as health and malnourishment are close to our hearts. In recent years, we have supported programmes in Mozambique and Burundi, among others. By choosing the nutrition programme in the Central African Republic, we want to make another structural contribution to UNICEF's meaningful work in the fight against malnutrition."

Read more about the importance of and commitment to good nutrition on the UNICEF website. In addition, we have been supporting the innovative Plastic Bricks project in Ivory Coast since 2019.