from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – DOCTORS Without Borders (MSF) is drawing attention to the hidden suffering link between mental health and malnutrition in northern Nigeria.
The organisation reveals that in 2024, over 300 000 children were treated in MSF-supported facilities.
MSF warned that behind every frail body lies a deeper, invisible struggle.
It integrates mental health support into nutrition care to ensure that recovery accommodates both emotional and physical healing for children and their caregivers.
Since 2022, MSF has been raising the alarm over the worsening malnutrition situation in northern Nigeria.
The problem has continued to deteriorate, with alarming numbers of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
“It’s important that we give care not just to the child but also to the caregiver,” Kauna Hope Bako, MSF’s mental health supervisor in the Bauchi project.
“If the mother cannot manage her own stress, it may unconsciously spill over to the child,” Bako emphasised.
Northern Nigeria is beset by banditry and insurgency by Islamist groups.
– CAJ News