Cuts to U.S. Aid Disrupt Lifesaving Nutrition Program for Malnourished Children in Senegal

A community-based program that brought treatment for severe acute malnutrition closer to rural families faces a dire supply shortage, leading to relapses and rising health risks.

In Senegal, a program that used ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF)—such as Plumpy'Nut—to treat severely malnourished children has been severely disrupted following cuts to U.S. foreign aid. The initiative, launched in 2022 with partners including Helen Keller International and the Senegal Ministry of Health, trained community health workers to screen and treat severe acute malnutrition at local clinics, dramatically reducing the need for families to travel to distant hospitals.

"It's having a heavy impact. Many people just abandon, they no longer come to the clinics. Malnutrition is coming back."
— Latsouk Faye, regional supervisor for food, nutrition and child survival

Yacine Lo's twins, Diarra and Khadim, received treatment through the program, but Diarra's recovery was interrupted when supplies ran short. Other families in the region report similar relapses, as the once-steady flow of therapeutic food has dried up.

Regional health official Latsouk Faye stated that the Diourbel region is receiving about half the RUTF it previously received. This shortage has led to reduced clinic attendance and a worrying resurgence of malnutrition.

The impact is starkly visible in the numbers: over 180,000 children were screened from October to December 2024, but fewer than 87,000 were screened from July to September 2025—after the cuts took effect. This means the program reached only 30% of the region's child population.

Community health worker Fatma Diouf described painful encounters with families: "We get way less than we used to. They think we are deceiving them." She noted that some children search for the product, and workers sometimes provide a homemade substitute with local ingredients—a stopgap measure with no guarantee of effectiveness.

"So many activities that were supported by the American government have stopped all of a sudden. It was really a severe shock."
— Ndèye Astou Badiane, country director for Helen Keller International

Background

The program was designed to bring treatment closer to remote communities, where malnutrition rates are high and access to hospitals is severely limited. The U.S. had been a major donor, supporting RUTF procurement through UNICEF and directly funding nutrition program staff in Senegal.

The sudden cuts have led to staff shortages and a reduced RUTF supply, according to health officials, unraveling years of progress in a region heavily dependent on external aid.

Mixed Signals from U.S. Aid

In March 2025, Senegal signed a new five-year, $90 million health aid deal with the U.S., but funding for nutrition programs was reportedly excluded from the agreement. The U.S. State Department stated that it is programming $23 million in maternal, child health, and nutrition resources in Senegal, but did not directly address questions about the specific shortages on the ground.

For families in Diourbel, the gap between policy statements and the empty shelves at their local clinics is widening—and their children are paying the price.