Millions of children at risk across Africa as aid cuts impact food supplies

As a result of the drop in international aid, millions of children in four African nations are at risk of developing malnutrition in the next three months, according to Save the Children.

According to Save the Children, Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan were all expected to run out of the so-called “ready-to-use therapeutic food” (RUTF), a nutritional paste that has a long shelf life and doesn’t require refrigeration.

Without access to medical care and nutrition assistance, the humanitarian organization predicted that 3.5 million children under the age of five who are suffering from severe acute malnutrition will be in danger alone in Nigeria.

Imagine having a severely malnourished child as a parent, said Yvonne Arunga, Save the Children’s regional director for East and Southern Africa.

Imagine that therapeutic food is the only thing that can save your child from the brink of death, and that food was once out of stock.

The UN’s humanitarian office described the UN’s humanitarian office as “the deepest funding cuts ever to hit the international humanitarian sector” just months after the organization made extensive programme cuts in June.

At the time, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said, “We have been forced into a triage of human survival.”

“The results are heartbreaking, and the math is cruel. We will save as many lives as we can with the resources we have because too many people won’t receive the support they need.

Leading international donors, particularly the United States, have significantly reduced foreign aid, causing widespread concern that developing nations around the world will lose critical aid, including food and healthcare.

Congress passed a bill that reduced the nation’s foreign aid expenditures by about $8 billion in July as part of US President Donald Trump’s effort to reduce federal spending.

At least 652 malnourished children in northern Nigeria died in the first half of 2025 as a result of a lack of timely care, according to a report from Doctors Without Borders (also known as MSF).

According to Ahmed Aldikhari, MSF’s country representative in Nigeria, “We are currently witnessing massive budget cuts, especially from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other European countries,” which are having a real impact on the treatment of malnourished children.

One of its clinics in northwest Kenya, according to Save the Children, has been forced to use other facilities to provide food to malnourished children.

Sister Winnie, the facility’s director, said, “And if the children are not supported, I know we will lose them very soon.”

According to Save the Children, 105, 000 RUTF cartons will be required throughout Kenya by the end of the year, but only 79, 000 have been secured so far, with supplies anticipated to run out in October.

In addition to more than 2.3 million severely malnourished children this year, the group claimed that overall, nutrition funding shortages could prevent treatment for 15.6 million people in 18 different nations around the world.