Provision of lifesaving nutrition services to vulnerable children in the high priority areas The overall objective of this intervention is to contribute to the reduction of under-nutrition related morbidity and mortality amongst children aged under-five.

Afghanistan is facing one of the most complex and protracted humanitarian emergencies in the world. Children and pregnant amp lactating women (PLW) in hard-to-reach districts are at higher risk of acute malnutrition as a result of myriads of factors. 80 out of 103 hard-to-reach districts are in provinces with above emergency level acute malnutrition. 

Afghanistan’s nutrition cluster has identified 26 hard-to-reach districts within 14 provinces (Kapisa, Wardak, Balkh, Faryab, Samangan, Paktika, Uruzgan, Zabul, Badghis, Farah, Ghor, Kunar, Laghman, Nuristan ) with pre-existing emergency levels of acute malnutrition and low levels of programme coverage that would need continued provision of nutrition services.

UNICEF, the sole provider of Ready-To-Use-Therapeutic-Food (RUTF), therapeutic milks and ReSoMaL (REhydration SOlution for MALnutrition) in the country, forecasted a shortage of RUTF, therapeutic milk (F75) and ReSoMaL for the year 2020, which led to the interruption of the scaling up of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) treatment services at the national level, including in the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) priority areas. To maintain the current scale of services in the target areas with an acceptable level of treatment coverage, UNICEF is seeking the support of Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) to support provision of lifesaving therapeutic supplies (RUTF, F75 and ReSoMaL) to secure SAM treatment services to children in priority areas.

UNICEF will procure the therapeutic supplies through its Supply Division. Supplies will be stored at national and regional UNICEF warehouses and will be distributed to the implementing partners (IPs) through Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) on a quarterly basis. The AHF project IPs are: Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), Bakhtar Development Network (BDN), Sanayee Development Organization (SDO), Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), Solidary of Afghan Families (SAF), Organization for Health Promotion and Management (OHPM), Directorate of Public Health (DoPH), Social and Health Development Program (SHDP), Medical Management and Research Course for Afghans (MMRCA), Medical Refresher Courses for Afghans (MRCA), Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (CHA), Health Net (HN-TPO), also the non-BPHS IPs including WVI, SCI, AAH and Medair.

UNICEF will use the funding sources from bilateral donors and its core fund (if required) to provide therapeutic milk (F-100 type) to complement the lifesaving treatment services addressing the needs of children with SAM with medical complications in 26 target districts in the 14 target provinces.

Outpatient and inpatient treatment of SAM are integral components of the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) approach, that will be delivered by the Basic Package of Health Services/ Essential Package of Hospital Services (BPHS/ EPHS) and humanitarian implementing partners through fixed health facilities and mobile teams.

Furthermore, SAM treatment will be provided simultaneously with the treatment of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) supported by World Food Programme (WFP), where applicable.