"Malnutrition continues to be a leading cause of death among children under five years old in both eastern and western D.R. Congo." A new report published by the Paul Carlson Partnership, researched and written by Nyenemo Sanguma, our staff intern this summer, documents the problem of malnutrition in the Congo, particularly among children. According to one source, "21 percent of children under the age of 5 suffer from acute malnutrition and 44 percent are chronically malnourished."

Nyenemo, himself born and raised in the Congo, spent much of the summer researching and writing this report, titled "Addressing Malnutrition in the Heart of Africa." He surveys the factors that contribute to the problem, including cultural factors along with economic and other sources. He touches on some of the attempts that have been made to deal with this, and discusses the comparative nutritional values of various foods. In the process, he gives special attention to the moringa tree, which has particularly high food value and is easy to grow.

One very practical outcome of his work was a proposal for a program to address childhood hunger in the Ubangi region of the DR Congo. This project would put teams of a nurse, an agronomist, and a cook at each of two hospitals and two village clinics in the CEUM (Communaute Evangelique de l'Ubangi-Mongala) medical system. These teams would treat the most severe cases and would offer parents information and instruction about what kinds of foods make a child healthy.

The report is available here in PDF form, as well as on the Resources page of this website, under Information about the Place and the Issues. Questions or responses for the author may be directed to the PCP office and will be forwarded from there.