10 July 2009More than 16,000 children in Gereida camp in Darfur, western Sudan, are receiving a new treatment to prevent malnutrition. The treatment, a peanut-based product called plumpy-doz, is being
trialled during the region's hungry season which peaks in June and July. Plumpy-doz, is enriched with micro-nutrients to give young children a much-needed nutritional boost.Ros Armitage,
conflict operations manager, said: "We know that this is the peak time for malnutrition and this year we are really prepared. In an attempt to prevent this seasonal upswing, we are giving plumpy-doz
to all children in Gereida camp under the age of three."Saving children's livesThe therapeutic feeding centre, run by the British Red Cross, Australian Red Cross and
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), continues to treat hundreds of moderately and severely malnourished children.Among them is baby Halima (pictured above), who was
dangerously underweight when she arrived at the centre in December 2008. Today, she is a happy, healthy-looking baby. Her mother believes that without the Red Cross, she wouldn't be alive today.According to British Red Cross delegate Eric Oundo, this is what the feeding programme is all about. "We cannot get into the politics, but what is important is that we have rehabilitated children
on the brink of dying, by addressing their health and nutritional needs," he said.Long-term supportMore than 2.7 million people have been displaced in Darfur and 4.7 million
people are affected by the ongoing conflict. The British Red Cross has now been in working in Darfur for five years. Since 2007, it has focused its efforts on the feeding programme in Gereida.
A nutrition survey in March showed that malnutrition levels in the camp have been kept under the emergency threshold."It's very rewarding being able to plot our progress," said Ros. "We have
evidence to show how the programme is making a difference and giving children a second chance at life."Protecting livelihoodsThroughout Darfur, the ICRC continues to work in
remote areas to try and stem the flow of people moving to overcrowded urban camps. It provides emergency assistance such as food, household items and health services and where possible helps protect
people's livelihoods.In Jebel Marra and Jebel Si, in northern Darfur, it has recently distributed seeds,
tools and food to 138,000 people. "The food will help farmers concentrate on their farming activities instead of looking for daily jobs to enable them to feed their children," explains
Delvin Walter of the ICRC.Find out more about the Darfur crisis
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
A health worker wears a surgical mask while talking to a woman and her child at the Benjamin Bloom hospital in San Salvador July 9, 2009. El Salvador's health authorities have ...
