Monday, 5 September 2011

Kanyang, a severely malnourished child, living in Turkana, Kenya

One of Red Cross focuses in Kenya is on nutritional interventions. A government survey in June 2011 showed that North Turkana had the highest malnutrition rate in the country: 37.4% of children under 5 were malnourished (9.4% were severely malnourished). According to the WHO, the threshold for an emergency is 15%.


Kanyang is 9 years old, despite looking 4 years old. He was extremely emaciated 6-weeks ago. His grandmother brought him to a stabilisation centre in Kaikor village.

This centre, built by the Red Cross as a maternity ward, gives therapeutic food to severely malnourished children.

The lack of nutrition has hampered Kanyang’s development, but he has survived and people who have seen him 6 weeks ago said that it is great news that he can now walk around. Without running the risk of exaggeration, he was given his life back.

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