Month after devastating cyclone: Malnutrition threatens children in Mozambique

The risk of malnutrition increases for children in Mozambique, a country that is more than a month ago was hit by cyclone Idai. Small children get there soon too little and one-sided nutrition. Also in the overcrowded shelters is the food supply limited. That says the UN children's fund Unicef. According to Oxfam, thousands of people still cut off from any assistance.

Unicef has over the past weeks, children in Mozambique malnutrition screened, after the devastating passage of cyclone Idai middle of last month. Children in the affected area can prove a high chance of malnutrition. The coming period will Unicef have at least 328.000 children subsequent screening.

Read also Cyclone Idai caused more than $ 2 billion damage 1 meal per day

“a Lot of people have nothing more. It costs them effort to get sufficient firewood to be found, and so cooking them, maybe only once a day, often a one-sided meal, for example rice and beans. For adults that can be done; for children it's really far too little," says Maaike Arts, the Dutch nutritionist of Unicef that in the past weeks from Beira worked. the

Also gives Unicef provision of information to the parents and emphasize the importance of breastfeeding. So says the organization 449.000 people have been reached with life-saving information about the importance of hygiene and nutrition. Unicef hopes that the people now come together to cook, so that children have a meal extra per day.