UAE leading fight against malnutrition among refugee children

The Emirates is contributing US$7 million (Dh25.7 million) to finance the screening of refugee children for malnutrition, reported WAM, the state news agency.

The UAE is donating US$7 million (Dh25.7m) to Unicef to screen refugee Syrian children for malnutrition.

The United Nations Children’s Fund says malnutrition poses a “silent threat” to these children, and is linked to poor hygiene, unsafe drinking water, diseases, lack of immunisation and improper feeding practices.

Indeed, malnutrition is an underlying cause of child mortality because it weakens the immune system, making children more susceptible to contracting diseases.

Doctors in Syria and neighbouring countries are reporting an increase in the number of severely malnourished and sick children seeking treatment.

For its part, the UAE has been donating tens of millions of dollars to aid Syrian refugees and other global humanitarian causes.

“The UAE Government … achieved the first position as the world’s largest donor country of official development assistance in 2013,” said Dr Ibrahim El Ziq, Unicef’s representative for the Arabian Gulf.

“This latest support will enable Unicef to ensure that malnourished children receive proper care in a functioning health facility and continuously screen children for malnutrition to help in early intervention and monitoring, which will save thousands of children’s lives,” said Dr El Ziq.