USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA) is at the forefront of the humanitarian community’s efforts to address wasting—the deadliest form of malnutrition—in emergencies. USAID/BHA supports humanitarian nutrition activities to prevent and treat child wasting, alongside other interventions to address maternal, infant, and young child nutrition. USAID/BHA-supported programs are community-based, linked to local health systems, and utilize evidence-based approaches that decrease morbidity and mortality resulting from malnutrition.
USAID/BHA supported humanitarian nutrition activities in nearly 40 countries during FY 2022, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Afghanistan. Many of USAID/BHA’s nutrition programs are based in the Horn of Africa and Africa’s Sahel region, two areas where recurring droughts have severely affected communities’ ability to produce and purchase enough diverse foods, thereby increasing the risk of wasting among vulnerable populations.
