The Central Equatoria Ministry of Health and the UN child welfare agency UNICEF launched a campaign to combat malnutrition in children under five years old.
On Tuesday, Central Equatoria health minister Dr Emmanuel Ija Baya said 254 community mobilizers have deployed to screen children for malnutrition in the 16 payams of Juba County.
“With the campaign, we can ensure that every child is reached with proper nutrition to help give every child a healthy start,” Ija said.
The campaign launched at the Al Sabah Children Hospital. After Central Equatoria, the drive will continue to Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Warrap states.
A nationwide problem
Vilma Tyler chief of nutrition for UNICEF noted that one million children under age five are threatened with malnourishment in South Sudan.
“In mid-July almost 57,000 out of 176,000 children were reached with severe acute malnutrition treatment services. A large portion of these have been in POC and IDPs sites,” Tyler said.
Tyler added UNICEF will continue supporting the health ministries, particularly in Central Equatoria, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Warrap.
Radio Tamazuj Photo: Al Sabah Children’s Hospital