How nutritional assistance from Japan helps Ethiopia's most vulnerable

What's the global community doing to ease the impact of today's food crisis? With our world hungrier than ever, we're in Ethiopia to see how lifesaving, nutritional assistance from Japan is helping some of the most vulnerable.

Climate extremes, conflict and economic shocks are creating a "deadly combination" that's fuelling a food crisis of "unprecedented proportions", the United Nations says.

In response to this crisis, Japan is providing nutritional assistance to help Ethiopia's most vulnerable.

The UN’s World Food Programme is on a mission in the town of Mile in Ethiopia’s Afar region.

It has a major problem with malnutrition. Around half of all pregnant and breast-feeding women, and around a quarter of all children, are malnourished. These problems have been fuelled by a conflict in the north, availability of food and general access to food, but also a lack of health services.

Just outside the town, a fortnightly health clinic is packed with children and pregnant and breast-feeding women. Here, they get diet education. They’re also screened and treated for moderate acute malnutrition.

Asia Ali, who’s 35, is here with her young sons, two-year-old Omar, and Ali who’s four.

“I am seeing that both children are malnourished at different levels," says Mohammed Abubakar, Health Worker at the health centre. "For example, this child’s upper arm is under 12.5 centimetres and this indicates he is malnourished. He should therefore take a food supplement.”

But Asia says Ali is making steady progress.

"My child was malnourished," she says. "After taking medicines and the food supplement, he’s relatively better, moderately malnourished."

The treatment for children like Omar and Ali is a highly-nutritious paste, ready to eat from a sachet.