By Janet Oyeleye
Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders, has launched a community-led nutrition intervention in Kebbi State to tackle rising cases of child malnutrition amid growing concerns over preventable deaths among children under five in north-west Nigeria.
The humanitarian organisation announced on Wednesday that the programme, centred on Tom Brown, a locally produced complete food supplement, is expected to reach more than 16,000 children suffering from moderate acute malnutrition by the end of 2026.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of a sharp rise in severe acute malnutrition cases recorded in Kebbi between 2024 and 2025, a trend that has stretched healthcare resources and heightened fears of worsening child mortality in one of Nigeria’s most vulnerable regions.
MSF Nigeria Country Coordinator, Stuart Alexander Zimble, described the malnutrition situation in Kebbi as alarming, noting that it remains one of the leading causes of death among young children in the state. He urged authorities and humanitarian agencies to intensify support and interventions to avert further avoidable deaths.
According to UNICEF data cited by the organisation, an estimated 30 newborns and 100 children under five die daily in Kebbi State, with nearly half of the deaths linked directly to malnutrition. The crisis is compounded by high levels of stunting, widespread malaria, and extremely low vaccination coverage, with only about 7.4 per cent of children under two years fully immunised.
MSF said it has provided free treatment for severe and complicated malnutrition in Kebbi since March 2022 through two inpatient therapeutic feeding centres and four outpatient centres. However, it noted that needs remain enormous due to persistent insecurity, limited healthcare access, climate-related shocks, and declining livelihood opportunities that have weakened household resilience and worsened health outcomes.
The organisation disclosed that after health authorities decided in September 2024 to stop admitting children with moderate acute malnutrition in order to focus on severe cases, medical teams recorded a 41 per cent increase in severe malnutrition cases treated at outpatient facilities and a 39 per cent rise in inpatient admissions.
Zimble said many children who initially presented with moderate malnutrition later returned with severe, and in some cases life-threatening, conditions, underscoring the need for earlier intervention.
The Tom Brown programme was therefore introduced in early 2026 as part of efforts to strengthen community-based responses to malnutrition before children deteriorate into critical conditions.
Tom Brown, also known locally as Garin Kunu, is a traditional Nigerian nutritional recipe prepared from a blend of sorghum, soya beans, and groundnuts. MSF said the programme seeks to leverage a familiar and culturally accepted food supplement to create sustainable solutions that communities can continue using beyond emergency interventions.
Nigeria continues to grapple with one of the world’s largest burdens of child malnutrition. Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that conflict, economic hardship, food inflation, and climate shocks are pushing increasing numbers of children across the northern states into acute food and nutrition insecurity, making early intervention programmes crucial to preventing avoidable deaths.
