United Nations says Nigerian children in need has doubled since aid cuts

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been the backbone of humanitarian response in north-eastern Nigeria for many years.

It has helped non-government organisations provide food, shelter, and healthcare to millions of people.

But early this year, US President Donald Trump’s administration cut more than 90 per cent of USAID's foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall global assistance, hitting programmes that serve the most vulnerable..

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that since then, the number of children in desperate need of assistance in Nigeria has doubled.

And it’s mother’s like Yagana Bulama, who have experienced the most unthinkable impact – the death of a child.

Cradling a malnourished baby, she said she has been entirely dependent on humanitarian aid. Eight months ago, she gave birth to twins.

"Unfortunately, both were diagnosed with malnutrition by the Mercy Corps Nutrition team and were enrolled in their Outpatient Therapeutic Program at Fulatari,” she said.

But after about three weeks of treatment, the programme was abruptly halted due to the stop work directive.

“As a result of the interruption in their care, my twins' health deteriorated. Tragically, I lost one of them."

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) remains a lifeline for Yagana's surviving child, but it is severely overstretched.

It has had to turn back many others previously served by NGOs which have pulled out due to funding cuts.

Trond Jensen, the head of OCHA’s office in Nigeria, said the situation is dire.

"What we are seeing is that 50 per cent of the nutrition efforts that we have put in place are now gone. And 70 per cent of health support is under threat, if it hasn't disappeared already.”

This means that the figures for children in need have doubled, but he said the organisation’s  capacity to deal with it “has halved or even worse”.

Jensen says immediate support is needed if they are to have any hope of saving the children.