Ongoing violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo is causing increased incidence of malnutrition among children whose families have been displaced and no longer have land for crops.

Updated November 20, 2008

The number of children suffering from severe malnutrition in eastern Congo is rising dramatically as a result of the ongoing conflict. In one hard-hit area, World Vision estimates the number of children under the age of 5 suffering from malnutrition has increased ten-fold.

Before the conflict, nutrition experts were admitting one or two malnourished children per day at the World Vision nutrition center in Rwanguba, east of Rutshuru. Since fighting devastated the rebel-held territory near Rutshuru, between eight and ten children have been arriving every day.

A crisis intensified

"The cause of malnutrition used to be poverty," said Suzanne Kahamba, a local nurse working at the clinic. "But now so many people are displaced, they don't have land to grow crops. The conflict has intensified the effects of poverty ten times over and the situation has become dire."

Recently, World Vision's emergency team was able to deliver therapeutic food for children at the clinic, after fighting in the area had cut off the center from aid for nearly three weeks. The nutrition center provides intensive care to young children suffering from severe malnutrition. Most of the children coming for assistance have been displaced from their homes, some multiple times.

Temporary relief

The Rwanguba center is one of four treatment centers across North Kivu that focus on fighting disease while also helping children to slowly resume normal eating patterns. The ready-to-use therapeutic food for children, known as Plumpynut, allows families to feed their children at home rather than live at the nutrition centers for as long as a month.

"We have had no supplies at the center for one week," said Kahamba. "This morning we had 53 children in need of treatment, but we had nothing to give them."

With the fresh delivery of Plumpynut and food, the center is able to treat 40 children for two weeks. World Vision will also be providing more than 100 tons of food to communities over six months, including beans and maize to almost 4,500 people.

'Fighting malnutrition every day'

Apart from treatment of malnutrition, World Vision also trains local health workers and parents on prevention of malnutrition and disease. With support from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, parents are also receiving tools and seeds to help the growth of nutritional crops.

"We are fighting malnutrition every day here," said Kahamba. "But I fully believe that if there is peace, we can close the center. People will be able to go home, farm their land, and look after their families."

"North Kivu province used to supply a large proportion of the country's food," said Constance Smith, World Vision's health and nutrition manager in Congo. "Now people here are foraging for any food they can find. When there is a severe lack of food as there is now, it is always children who suffer the most."

'The cycle of war must stop'

To help affected communities gain more secure sources of food, World Vision is also providing egg-laying hens and fruit trees to families in Goma; we also plan to distribute seeds and tools to 600 households in the Shasha camp so they can plant their own crops nearby.

Meanwhile, World Vision is warning that the number of malnourished children will continue to rise if all warring factions and the international community do not commit to finding a peaceful solution the crisis.

"I have seen this conflict become a cycle," said Kahamba. "We manage to lower the malnutrition rates and then the war comes again. The cycle of war must stop."