The Arab Republic of Egypt has donated 15 tons of powder milk to South Sudan to help fight the growing malnutrition rate among children in the country.
Late last year, the UN reported that about 1.4 million children aged between six months and five years could be acutely malnourished in South Sudan by 2021.
The report further states that another 483,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women across the country would also be acutely malnourished and in need of treatment this year.
Speaking to journalists at the Juba International Airport upon reception of the donations on Tuesday, the Minister of Peace Building, Stephen Paar Kuol said the powder milk will be distributed to mothers with underlying health conditions and cannot breastfeed their babies.
“We are here to receive these donations from the Egyptian government. These are powder milk for young women who can’t breastfeed their children due to some health problems,” Paar told reporters.
He further said the gift would help malnourished babies across the country.
In his statement to the media during the handover of the donations, the Egyptian Ambassador in Juba Dr. Mohammed M. Kadah said the powder milk is meant for children below three years of age.
“We are here to handover powdered milk to our friends in the Republic of South Sudan. The donation includes 15 tons of powder milk which will help malnourished children,” he said.
Food security in South Sudan has been worsened by the effects of years of civil war, desert locusts invasion, flooding in parts of the country, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
ICRC, this month, also warned of poor agricultural harvests in the country, further exacerbating the situation.
Out of the 270 million people that are expected to go hungry by the end of this year, the UN says 7.2 million people are in South Sudan.