South Sudan: RMF UNICEF Malnutrition Treatment and Prevention Program Jonglei State

29,667 Children Screened for Malnutrition: Q1 2019

June 18, 2019

Odongo Bonny Oryem

Summary of Activities
  • In Pibor County, additional funding from Common Humanitarian Funds (CHF) strengthened WCF, WFP, UNICEF, and RMF’s support and maintenance of the existing 5 Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) centers and 1 stabilization center, while 1 additional malnutrition treatment and prevention center was established. All locations continue to provide quality, lifesaving nutrition interventions in Pibor County.
  • In Ayod County, the existing 9 CMAM centers and 2 stabilization centers were maintained, while 1 additional stabilization center was established in Jiech.
  • In both Ayod and Pibor, RMF procured and supplied all malnutrition treatment and prevention centers with adequate stationery and other items to facilitate effective operations.
  • Continued to support satellite phone services for all 15 centers through payment of monthly subscription fees in those hard to reach areas where RMF works and where regular phone services are not available. This enhances communication and coordination of RMF’s programs and program sites
  • Procured and delivered an adequate amount of essential foodstuffs for RMF’s relocated staff members (those recruited from Juba and deployed in Ayod and Boma) where basic commodities are not available.
  • Supported the welfare of relocated nutrition staff members in Ayod and Boma.
  • Procured and provided in-kind support (soaps, salt, and sitting mats) to the infant and young child feeding (IYCF) mother-to-mother support groups at all our sites in both Ayod and Boma.
  • Continued support of high-speed Wi-Fi internet service in the Juba office, as well as field sites in Jiech, Gorwai, and Mogok, to enable easy communication, coordination, and reporting through monthly subscription and maintenance. This was done through maintenance of the equipment and payment of monthly subscription fees. Meanwhile, RMF installed another Wi-Fi internet system in Boma.
  • Continued facilitation of RMF’s team to actively participate in nutrition cluster activities and meetings at national and state levels.
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Results &

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Reaching the Desperate

Life-Saving Intervention

830 and 430 severely acute malnourished (SAM) children were identified and referred to OTPs in Ayod and Boma, respectively, for therapeutic management during this reporting quarter.

With support from RMF headquarters, all our CMAM sites in both Ayod and Pibor were fully funded in terms of operating costs throughout the reporting quarter.

Minister of Health Visit

Calls for Expansion

During the reestablishment of the Jiech stabilization center, the State Minister of Health explaining the suffering of his people to RMF and called for expansion of services, including the provision of a healthcare package.

A perimeter fence was constructed with iron sheets for the Jiech stabilization center and staff compound.

Seeing the Benefit

Extending Nutrition Push

Project development and staffing were strengthened, as RMF South Sudan extended our funding period under CHF/UNDP/UNOCHA to implement the emergency nutrition intervention for another 6 months in Pibor County, effective from March 1, 2019 to August 31, 2019. More than 50 staff members were retained to continue delivering quality services under this project.

Team Efficiency

Scientific Approach

29,667 children under 5 were screened for signs of acute malnutrition during the first quarter of 2019. Screening data were shared with the nutrition cluster for further analysis.

RMF Nutrition Officers provide a routine appetite test with ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) before children’s admission to the program. RMF teams do a z-score assessment to determine the nutrition status of a child.

Supported Wi-Fi

Getting Wired

Program reporting and coordination continued to function at a high level, thanks to the high-speed Wi-Fi internet service installed and maintained by RMF at Gorwai and Mogok, as well as the newly installed additional high-speed Wi-Fi internet system in Boma and continued maintenance of high-speed Wi-Fi internet service in Jiech provided in coordination with CMD.

Renovating and Supplying

Making Improvements

RMF facilitated routine in-country travel of nutrition staff between Juba and different nutrition centers in Ayod and Boma with UNHAS flights.

RMF items were flown to the area to renovate the Boma Hospital stabilization center. Solar panels were installed in Boma.

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More

Photos

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Real Medicine Foundation - more photos.
Real Medicine Foundation - more photos.
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Real Medicine Foundation - more photos.
Real Medicine Foundation - more photos.
Real Medicine Foundation - more photos.
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Numbers

Served

Total Children Under 5 Screened

January to March 2019

29,67 children screened

  • 20,021 in Ayod
  • 9,646 in Boma

Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM) Children Treated

January to March 2019

1,260 SAM children

  • 830 in Ayod
  • 430 in Boma

Moderately Acute Malnourished (MAM) Children Treated

January to March 2019

3,238 MAM children

  • 2,355 in Ayod
  • 883 in Boma

Total Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) Enrolled in Supplementary Feeding Program

January to March 2019

1,124 PLW with malnutrition

  • 729 in Ayod
  • 395 in Boma