High Energy Biscuits to Fight Malnutrition 

Malnutrition is the state in which the body is so deprived of nutrients that a person cannot continue growing, learning, doing physical work or fighting disease.

Children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and the elderly are the most vulnerable to malnutrition.

The Somali region has the highest rates of acute malnutrition in Ethiopia. Every second child is underweight.

People living in this region depend on agriculture and livestock to survive. However, failed rains have led to crop deterioration and water shortages. Thousands of animals have also died or become too weak to produce milk.

Islamic Relief’s work is focused in the Afder zone of the Somali region. Emergency relief in Afder has included trucking clean water to villages and distributing high-energy biscuits to tackle malnutrition.

Health facilities are poor in Hargelle and Elkerie, so malnourished people cannot get the medical attention they need. Health centres do not have essential equipment and there are not enough doctors, medicines or vaccinations to treat everyone.

To combat malnutrition, Islamic Relief runs a Health and Nutrition Recovery programme in Afder. Project activities include equipping health centres, giving hygiene training and providing food supplements.

Packed full of vitamins and nutrients, the supplementary food helps people regain their strength and recover from hunger.

Islamic Relief completed the Health and Nutrition Recovery programme in March 2007. More than 23,100 men and women in Afder zone benefited from the project.

Over 2,700 people received supplementary nutrition. Extensive health education was also given in all areas where the project was carried out. 

The programme ran alongside water, education and sustainable livelihoods projects in the Somali regions.