Staff with USAID/OFDA partner Save the Children measure a boy's middle upper arm circumference (MUAC) to test for acute malnutrition at a nutrition awareness event in rural Niger.

Johs Pierce, USAID/OFDA

USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) is a leader in supporting emergency nutrition response in international humanitarian crises. According to the UN World Health Organization, hunger and malnutrition are rampant among displaced populations. In particular, a disproportionate number of children in emergencies face severe acute malnutrition , a life-threatening condition defined by very low weight, as well as visible wasting and fluid retention.

USAID/OFDA supports community-based programs that combine the strengths of clinical and at-home care to address nutritional deficiencies. USAID/OFDA partners aim to build awareness and capacity to prevent and treat malnutrition through community management of acute malnutrition programs, infant and young child feeding in emergencies programs, and improvement of emergency nutrition information collection and analysis to better inform response efforts.

In Fiscal Year 2016, USAID/OFDA provided approximately $74 million to support nutrition activities, including global and regional nutrition initiatives and nutrition interventions in more than 20 countries.

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