Malnutrition - World Medical Fund

Malnutrition is stealing children’s strength — and too often, their lives.

In rural Malawi, more and more children are arriving at our clinics dangerously undernourished.

What begins as hunger quickly becomes something far more serious: weakened immunity, repeated infection, delayed development, and a growing risk of death.

At World Medical Fund, we diagnose and treat malnutrition in the field — reaching children who might otherwise receive no help at all.

A growing crisis in rural Malawi

Malnutrition is one of the greatest threats to child survival in the communities we serve.

Families in Nkhotakota are facing rising food prices, poor harvests, flooding, and worsening poverty. For many, there is simply not enough food, and what food is available is often lacking in the nutrients young children need to grow and survive.

By the time some children reach us, they are already dangerously weak.

Their arms are thin.
Their energy is gone.
Their bodies are no longer able to fight infection.
This is not just hunger.
This is a medical emergency.

Because of your support in 2025:

2,392 children treated for malnutrition
Life-saving nutritional support provided at mobile clinics
Children treated in remote villages
Families supported with urgent care

Why malnutrition is so dangerous

Malnutrition weakens every part of a child’s body.

A malnourished child is more likely to:

develop severe illness from common infections
struggle to recover from malaria, pneumonia, or diarrhoea
stop growing properly
suffer long-term developmental harm
die from otherwise treatable conditions

How WMF treats malnutrition

Our mobile clinics travel to remote villages where families often cannot reach a health facility.

When we identify a child with malnutrition, we act quickly.

We provide:

Clinical assessment
MUAC screening and monitoring
Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)
Treatment for infections
Follow-up support
Referral where needed

A simple treatment that saves lives

Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is a highly effective treatment for severe malnutrition.

£10 provides one week of treatment
£50 provides a full course for one child

For many children, this is the difference between life and death.

She was just 20 months old. When she arrived at our clinic, she was severely malnourished and at very high risk. Our team treated her immediately with urgent medical care and nutritional support. Without access to a mobile clinic, she may never have received treatment. This is the reality for many of the children we see.

Why the need is increasing

The number of malnourished children we see is rising.

Families are under pressure from:

Rising food prices
Poor harvests and climate shocks
Poverty
Limited access to healthcare

For vulnerable children, even a short period without proper food can become life-threatening.

What your donation can do

£10 provides one week of treatment
£25 helps support a child at a clinic
£50 funds a full course of treatment
£100 helps run a mobile clinic
£250 helps reach a remote village

Help us reach the next malnourished child before it is too late

No child should die because there is no food, no transport, and no access to treatment.

With your support, we can identify malnutrition early, provide life-saving care, and give children the chance to recover.