Supporting the health and nutrition of children in Pakistan impacted by flooding.
2023 - 2024
This project, supported by Comic Relief US, will help to address the nutritional needs of children in the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan who were severely impacted by flooding in 2022 and are now at a higher risk for diarrhoea and malnutrition.
In 2022, extreme monsoon rains triggered flooding and landslides across Pakistan.
One-third of the country was impacted by the floods, and 6.6 million were severely affected. The widespread destruction led to lost lives, livelihoods and infrastructure, leaving nearly 640,000 displaced people living in camps. Of affected households, 6.6 million do not have adequate resources to buy food and 1.4 million people are estimated to need nutrition support. At least 30% of the country’s water systems are estimated to have been damaged.
Malnutrition was already a critical health issue in the flood-affected areas. The 2018 National Nutrition Survey found various forms of malnutrition, including wasting, stunting and micronutrient deficiencies, to be public health issues in the country. The prevalence of wasting among children was nearly 18% and the prevalence of diarrhoea was 19%.
As a consequence of the flooding, diarrhoea rates have risen sharply. During the period of April 2022 to February 2023, a reported 137,552 children under five in Balochistan had suffered from diarrhoea. In Sindh, more than 372,009 diarrhoeal cases had been identified in children under five from August 2022 to January 2023 alone.
Diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of child mortality and malnutrition, resulting from reduced food intake, malabsorption and nutrient loss. Malnutrition also increases the severity of diarrhoea. Children who are treated with zinc and low-osmolarity oral rehydration salts (LO-ORS) recover faster and are less likely to die from a diarrhoeal episode.
Improving access to, and delivery of, diarrhoea treatment with zinc and oral rehydration salts.
Zinc
In partnership with the Balochistan Rural Support Program (BRSP) – which will coordinate with the Sindh Rural Support Program and local and district governments – Nutrition International will distribute more than 225,000 doses of zinc and LO-ORS to 75,000 children through health facilities and medical camps, and distribute leaflets to caregivers on diarrhoea prevention, including the importance of handwashing and boiling drinking water.
Nutrition International will also conduct training sessions for district-level health facilities staff on diarrhoea management, including the use of zinc and LO-ORS. A total of 150 health staff will be trained during six one-day training sessions.
BRSP will lead the distribution of zinc and LO-ORS in coordination with the provincial and district health departments. The district health system will be used as a bridge to reach the beneficiaries.
The impact
Increasing awareness and access to zinc and LO-ORS for children in Pakistan impacted by flooding.
This project will help to improve the health and nutrition of children who have been severely impacted by the 2022 flooding in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan, by ensuring that effective diarrhoea treatment with zinc and LO-ORS is available, and that health workers and caregivers know how to prevent and manage diarrhea when it occurs, and understand the importance of the treatment.
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