Sadly, the number of seriously undernourished children in north Darfur is growing. To tackle the situation, Malteser International has stepped up its nutrition programme in the Wada and Tabit health centres. Over the last four months, 5875 children have been monitored. Those found to be undernourished were inserted in the integrative food programme for three weeks. At the same time, mothers are given training on hygiene and health measures to follow when preparing food.

The Order of Malta’s relief corps provides support for 27 health centres, training and supervising doctors and local staff. To reach the more remote villages in the area, Malteser International sends mobile teams, thus intensifying its monitoring of malnutrition rates.

Besides tackling the problem of the lack of food in these areas, health workers are engaged in vaccination campaigns for under-five-year-olds and providing prenatal care for pregnant women.

In El Fasher last June, Malteser International took part in a meeting of the United Nations Security Council with local Darfur authorities. This provided an opportunity to ask the Security Council and UNAMID, the African Union’s operation in Darfur, to facilitate access to the region to help the work of humanitarian organizations.