The German Development Bank (KfW), channeling funds through UNICEF, will provide Cameroon with 10 million euros, or 6.5 billion CFA francs, to combat malnutrition, UNICEF said in a press release on April 22. The funding is earmarked to assist 336,580 children under the age of five, 316,490 adolescents (65% of whom are girls), and 575,300 pregnant women, primarily in the East, North, Far North, and Adamaoua.
This financial boost will bolster nutrition programs in these four regions, which grapple with some of the highest malnutrition rates in Cameroon. The UNICEF-implemented project aims to "reduce malnutrition among children under five, ensure access for young women and mothers to nutritional resources to prevent deficiencies, and improve reproductive health services." It specifically targets vulnerable populations, addressing pressing nutritional and health needs.
Data from the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey underscores the scale of the issue. "While 6.1% of women suffer from malnutrition nationwide, this prevalence climbs to 16.3% in Adamaoua and 17.8% in the Far North," the survey found. Among children under five, stunted growth affects 37% in the East and Far North, and reaches as high as 41% in the North.
UNICEF also highlighted that malnutrition affects refugees residing in these areas. Of the 353,000 Central African refugees in Cameroon, 94% live in Adamaoua, the North, and the East. Their presence, a consequence of the crises in the Central African Republic over the past fifteen years, intensifies the strain on local resources and exacerbates nutritional vulnerabilities.