In the Nigerian states where USAID Advancing Nutrition is working, three to eighteen percent of children under five are acutely malnourished. Despite these high levels of acute malnutrition or wasting (low weight-for-height), treatment services remain inadequate in parts of Northern Nigeria. Nigeria’s implementation of the Global Action Plan on Child Wasting aims to increase the coverage of wasting treatment services provided to children with acute malnutrition to 50 percent by 2025. To assist Nigeria in reaching this goal, USAID Advancing Nutrition supports activities to strengthen the treatment of acute malnutrition.

In collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), USAID Advancing Nutrition is conducting a series of targeted trainings for key health personnel responsible for providing inpatient severe acute malnutrition treatment services within secondary and tertiary health facilities in Bauchi, Ebonyi, Kebbi, and Sokoto States, as well as the Federal Capital Territory. The training sessions focus on recent updates the FMOH made to their integrated management of acute malnutrition guidelines. Trained personnel are expected to replicate the training for staff in their respective health facilities, further increasing capacity of staff members in their catchment areas.