Field Report by Shushan Mebrahtu and Adamou Matti Dan Mallam UNICEF Communication Specialist Shushan Mebrahtu and Communication Officer Adamou Matti Dan Mallam travelled into the field assess the situation of families, especially children and women, amid the Sahel region’s intensifying nutrition crisis. Their report follows. AGUIE, Niger, 1 May 2012 – Two-and-half year old Oumarou … Continued

In Niger, the food crisis has forced tens of thousands of children to leave school. Some are migrating with their families in search of work, others are simply too weak to attend. Report by Laura Huyghe and Shushan Mebrahtu Only a few months ago, 12-year-old Oumar Soumana was happily living with his family in Damana, … Continued

Today is World Malaria Day.  Malaria kills a child under the age of five somewhere in the world every 40 seconds, which is equal to approximately 1,400 child deaths per day. Over one million people die from malaria each year, mostly children with the majority of malaria cases occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. The majority … Continued

UNICEF Communication Specialist Chris Tidey travelled to Niger to assess the situation of families, especially children and women, amid the Sahel region’s intensifying nutrition crisis. Walking through the door into the intensive care ward, I am struck by sensory overload – children’s cries come seemingly from every direction; medical staff buzzing around me, inserting a … Continued

Stepping off their minibus in the mountain village of Mashta el Hammoud, in northern Wadi Khaled, a group of children scampers up the stone steps to their classrooms. While the prospect of maths and Arabic classes may not seem attractive, there’s no mistaking these youngsters’ eagerness for the afternoon that lies ahead. Report by Simon … Continued

Khadija’s 6-month-old son, Nawal, had been suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea for days, but she thought it was related to his teething. Finally, when his fever did not go down, she brought him to a clinic in N’Djamena, where he was diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. Report by Eva Gilliam VIDEO: UNICEF correspondent Eva Gilliam … Continued

It’s dinner time in the fishing village of Tako, and Mariam Dianapo is worried about how to feed her five hungry children. Report by Chris Niles UNICEF correspondent Bob Coen reports on an increase in child malnutrition in Mali as the Sahel region is gripped by a severe food crisis. She has just one bowl … Continued

UNICEF correspondent Karin Bridger reports on the Executive Director’s visit to Uganda, where he drew attention to grassroots innovations and child undernutrition.

A time bomb is ticking in the Sahel. April marks the beginning of the region’s lean season. It rains only once a year in the Sahel, an arid region that stretches across eight countries in West-Central Africa. VIDEO:UNICEF correspondent Loch Phillipps reports on preparations to deal with the food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel … Continued

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow recently visited Chad to attend the launch of a massive polio immunization campaign and to raise awareness of the importance of ending polio transmission once and for all. Report by Guy Hubbard. MOUNDOU/N’DJAMENA, Chad. VIDEO: UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow attends the launch of a massive polio vaccination campaign in … Continued

When Zelika, 2, was admitted to a hospital three weeks ago with severe acute malnutrition, her odds of survival were low. But her life was saved after intensive nutritional and medical care in a treatment centre in Ouallam.  Report by Shushan Mebrahtu, OUALLAM/ NIAMEY, Niger UNICEF West and Central Africa Regional Director David Gressly and … Continued

UNICEF today applauded the International Criminal Court’s conviction of Thomas Lubanga of war crimes for recruiting children into his armed movement in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As a result of today’s landmark ruling, Lubanga is the first warlord to face international justice for using children as weapons of war. “This is a pivotal … Continued