Importance Score: 75 / 100 🔴
Funding Cuts Exacerbate Malnutrition Crisis in Nigeria’s Borno State
Under the filtered light of a thatched-roof shelter in Dikwa, Nigeria, Yagana Bulama tenderly holds her surviving infant. Tragically, the other twin succumbed to malnutrition, a devastating consequence of recent international funding cuts. These reductions are severely impacting aid efforts for displaced communities within Nigeria’s Borno state, a region ravaged by insurgency.
The Dire Situation in Dikwa
“Sustaining nourishment is incredibly challenging,” explains Bulama, 40, formerly a farmer. Boko Haram’s violence forced her displacement from her village. She is now among roughly 400,000 people at the Dikwa humanitarian hub—nearly the entire population—who are dependent on external support. Their movements are confined by the military to a designated “safe zone,” drastically hindering their capability to cultivate crops.
Impact of USAID Cuts
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had been a cornerstone of humanitarian aid in northeastern Nigeria for many years. They aided non-governmental organizations in providing essentials such as sustenance, housing, and medical care to millions. However, recent measures led to a significant reduction in USAID’s foreign aid contracts.
- Over 90% decrease in USAID’s foreign aid contracts.
- $60 billion reduction in overall global assistance.
Programs for Children Severely Affected
Programs aimed at supporting children have been notably impacted by the funding reductions.
Personal Tragedies and the Halt of Essential Programs
Bulama tragically lost young triplets to starvation before benefitting from therapeutic feeding centers in Dikwa. When she gave birth to twins in August, both were significantly underweight. Staff from Mercy Corps enrolled the twins in a nutritional program, to receive specialized paste designed to combat severe acute malnutrition.
However, in February, Mercy Corps was forced to terminate the program entirely, due to the US government agency’s action. Just two weeks later, Bulama sadly lost one of her twins.
She is overwhelmed with sorrow.
“I don’t want to bury another child,” she stated.
Global Implications of USAID Reductions
Globally, USAID funded half of the therapeutic foods utilized in combating childhood malnutrition, with 40% of the supplies being manufactured in the United States, according to Shawn Baker, Chief Program Officer at Helen Keller Intl.
Baker asserts that these cuts could result in 1 million children being deprived of treatment for severe malnutrition, potentially leading to an additional 163,500 deaths annually. Helen Keller Intl has already terminated its programs in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Nigeria.
Concerns from Humanitarian Organizations
Trond Jensen, head of the United Nations humanitarian office in Maiduguri, Borno’s capital, voiced serious concerns regarding the funding cuts. He noted that other contributors, including the European Union, have taken similar courses of action. “One of the things is the threat to the lives of children.”
Stretched Resources and Overwhelmed Facilities
While UNICEF continues to operate a therapeutic feeding center nearby supporting Bulama’s surviving child, their capacities are being stretched. Consequently, they are forced to turn away many previously supported by other aid groups that have withdrawn due to the loss of funding.
Intersos, an Italian humanitarian organization, operates the sole facility in Dikwa capable of providing in-patient services to malnutrition cases, treating the most critical instances. Their staff report being overwhelmed with at 10 new admissions of seriously malnourished children on a daily basis.
” Prior to the USAIDs funding freeze, our progress was tremendous,” states Ayuba Kauji, a health and nutrition supervisor. ” Now my biggest worry is high mortality. We don’t have enough resources to keep up.”
Impact Beyond Nutrition
The implications of these cutbacks extend beyond nutritional support. At the International Organization for Migration’s reception center in Dikwa, innumerable displaced families, including those fleeing captivity are stranded, impacting shelter construction and relocation assistance.
“Previously, organizations such as Mercy Corps constructed mud-brick homes and repaired any damaged shelters to take on persons from the IOM reception center,” stated one official from the center, who requested anonymity due to not being authorized to make statements publicly regarding the details. “Now, that has come to a full stop.”
Broader Crisis and Potential Consequences
Jensen warned that vulnerable individuals might resort to risky coping strategies, potentially including joining violent groups to sustain themselves.
Kate Phillips-Barrasso, Mercy Corps’ vice president for policy and advocacy, indicated that 40 of its 62 U.S.-funded programs, potentially impacting 3.5 million people across multiple countries have been terminated as a result of these cuts.