Thousands of children at risk of malnutrition in Mali
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Valerie Amos
Acute malnutrition is threatening the lives of 175,000 children in Mali, according to the United Nations humanitarian chief, Valerie Amos.
Ms Amos is on a mission to the West African country in the Sahel region which is facing a serious food crisis as a result of drought, poor harvest, high food prices and conflict.
The United Nations has appealed for $213 million to provide humanitarian assistance in Mali but has so far received only 46 per cent of that amount.
Spokesman Farhan Haq has more.
"Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, is in Mali to assess the response to the severe food crisis affecting 4.6 million people in the country. 175,000 children are at risk from severe acute malnutrition. While in Mali, she visited a nutrition centre in the capital Bamako, which has treated more than 1,000 children for acute malnutrition since the start of the year. Ms Amos said that children’s lives are being blighted by the crisis. She added that we have the knowledge and capacity to address this crisis, but funds are lacking to do everything that is needed."
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The United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA) says that water, hygiene and sanitation, as well as the education and health sectors, are severely underfunded in Mali.
