Campaign Cuts Malnutrition Rates In Kenya Refugee Camps To Lowest Levels In Years

Three United Nations agencies praised the
international
community for its support to help turn around a devastating
malnutrition
crisis in northern Kenya's Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps.



The gains made in Dadaab and Kakuma are the result of a package of
measures
including a more regular supply of culturally acceptable foods, as well
as
firewood, and the provision of energy-saving cooking stoves and soap
to
ensure that refugees are not compelled to sell a portion of their food
to
buy these basic items.



But the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UN World Food Programme (WFP) and
UN
Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that continued support was vital if
the
gains were not to be quickly lost.



"Real inroads into the scourge of malnutrition are making a
genuine
difference to young children and their mothers," said WFP Kenya
Country
Director Burkard Oberle. "It would be criminal to take our foot off
the
pedal now simply because we can't afford to keep going. These people
need
more support, not less."



Acute malnutrition rates among children under the age of 5 in the
three
refugee camps at Dadaab have dropped dramatically from 22.2 percent
last
year to under 13 percent, according to a recent survey. Initial
results
from a survey in camps at Kakuma indicate a similar downward trend.



Crucially, these figures are now below the emergency threshold of
15
percent. They are also the lowest rates recorded since 2000.



However, malnutrition levels remain serious. Anaemia is even more
worrying,
with rates amongst children reaching 81.4 percent - a slight increase
on
previous figures. An inter-agency initiative is addressing this through
the
provision of double-fortified salt in Dadaab and a pilot project
supplying
micronutrient-rich 'sprinkles' in Kakuma.



"These problems are not going away. It is absolutely essential that we
are
able to maintain a high level of assistance for the refugees, who
entirely
depend on outside assistance," said Eddie Gedalof, UNHCR's
Acting
Representative in Kenya.



WFP has maintained full food rations in the camps in recent months as
well,
ensuring the basic 2,100 kilocalorie daily requirement per refugee and
a
basic, balanced diet.



Also thanks to donor support, supplementary and complementary feeding
has
been expanded, health facilities are better staffed to fight the
constant
threat of malaria and other diseases and refugees have a good supply
of
water.



"Our experience shows that we should not celebrate such short-term
success,
but redouble our efforts to ensure the work continues to have such
a
positive impact," said UNICEF Country Representative in Kenya Olivia
Yambi.



The recent nutrition survey stressed it was essential to maintain
the
provision of wheat flour as the preferred staple of the refugees,
to
continue to provide supplementary micronutrient-rich food and to
provide
basic non-food items such as soap on a more regular basis.



Further progress is necessary in educating mothers on best child
feeding
practices, in addition to more general health education in the camps.



The three UN agencies require a combined total of US$18 million
(WFP
US$10.5 million, UNICEF US$473,000 and UNHCR US$7 million) to ensure
the
full roll out of their operations in Dadaab and Kakuma up to June 2008.



A total of 231,000 refugees, mostly Somali and Sudanese, live in the
camps
at Dadaab and Kakuma. Over 40,000 of them are children under the age of 5.

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