Improving nutrition in the worlds hungriest country, thanks to UK Aid Match

Thanks to the generosity of supporters, our Free from Hunger appeal launched in 2019 raised a total of £1.84 million. That included £858,961 of matched funding from the UK government as part of UK Aid Match.

The funding helped support a new programme in CAR to improve the health and nutrition of almost 2,700 pregnant women, new mothers and their children - ensuring they can access the food, water, nutrition and healthcare they need to recover from hunger and stay strong and healthy in the long term.

CAR has experienced decades of violence and instability. It is estimated that one in every five people have been displaced, and more than half the population requires humanitarian assistance. Many families face severe hunger as a result of fleeing their homes and abandoning their livelihoods to escape the fighting. An estimated 400,000 people are acutely malnourished. Children are among the most at risk, with 40% experiencing chronic malnutrition.

Additionally, a lack of investment in the country’s healthcare system has created a shortage of skilled medical and healthcare workers and safe facilities, placing the lives of many people at risk. CAR has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world and one of the lowest life expectancies at just 55 years of age. 

The aim of Concern’s programme, funded by UK Aid Match, was to reduce levels of illness and mortality in rural communities in the Ombella M'Poko region. This included improving access to prenatal care for pregnant women, combatting acute malnutrition in children under five, increasing levels of breastfeeding, strengthening water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure and raising awareness around vaccination. 

Concern provided four healthcare facilities with the necessary resources and improved infrastructure to operate a range of health and nutrition services free of charge, as well as supporting healthcare staff with additional training.

Most women in CAR give birth at home, often due to the costs associated with visiting a healthcare facility. However, by the end of the project, 74% of women who had participated in the programme chose to have their child delivered by a healthcare worker. This demonstrates the effectiveness of Concern's work in raising parents’ awareness, providing staff with adequate training and equipping healthcare facilities with the necessary resources for proper care.

Alongside that, we worked with local communities to strengthen the capacity of 60 traditional healers and community health volunteers to screen children and pregnant women for malnutrition, and refer them to healthcare facilities for treatment. The free care and referral system supported by Concern gave parents the ability to follow the best treatment plan for their children.

Commenting on the completion of the programme, Peter Reynolds, Interim Executive Director of Concern (UK), said: “We are extremely grateful for the UK government’s commitment to support vulnerable families in CAR, who face a daily challenge to feed their children and stay healthy,” he said.

“A child’s future health depends on proper nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life. By focusing on the health and wellbeing of pregnant and new mothers at such a crucial stage, we’re ensuing that children have the best start in life.

“And because we have helped build the capacity of healthcare staff and strengthened services, the impact of the programme will be felt well beyond the project’s lifetime into the future,” he said.