China donated $ 1 million (approximately Rand 16 million) to help the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) help severely malnourished children in Senegal as part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Unicef said the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the risk of malnutrition in children due to deteriorating food quality, lack of access to nutrition and other health services.
The prevalence of chronic malnutrition is lower in Senegal than in many other West African countries but still affects 17% of children under five, reaching its peak of 23% in children aged 24 to 35. month.
About 17,355 children under 5 in the northern and eastern regions of Senegal will benefit from this donation. Senegal is one of six countries to receive support from Unicef-China cooperation against Covid-19 through the mechanism of the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund.
UNICEF representative in Senegal, Silvia Danailov, thanked China for mobilizing significant aid to support its efforts alongside Senegal, noting that the donation will help improve children’s survival.
Chinese Ambassador to Senegal Xiao Han said China is proud to partner with the UN to support other countries. China is committed to working closely with Unicef to ensure a smooth implementation of this funding for the benefit of Senegalese children,” Xiao said.
Unicef said it will continue to support the Senegalese government’s efforts to tackle malnutrition, ensuring the provision of nutritional inputs, such as ready-to-use therapeutic foods and essential medicines.
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Source: eminetra
