US vows to continue working with Pakistan to address malnutrition crisis

The United States has pledged to continue urgent collaboration with Pakistan in addressing the malnutrition crisis sparked by the 2022 devastating floods.

The floods claimed over 1,700 lives and left millions, notably women and children, at risk of malnutrition-related fatalities.

Taking to social media, the US Embassy of Pakistan shared a video in which Jonathan Lalley, the embassy spokesperson, said: "Of the more than $215 million the United States provided for flood relief and recovery, nearly $100 million went toward addressing malnutrition."

While sharing details of the embassy's efforts, Lalley revealed that the embassy, in a collaborative effort with the United Nation World Food Programme, provided "emergency food and nutrition" to the affected families.

Additionally, he highlighted getting help from the Unicef to treat "nearly 135,000 malnourished children," and provide "pre-natal care to some 74,000 pregnant women."

"With the World Health Organisation (WHO), we established 12 nutrition stabilisation centers across Balochistan and Sindh to provide essential health services," he added.

In the video, he also noted the recent delivery of an "additional 486 tonnes of ready-to-use therapeutic food to treat an additional 39,000 children" made by US Ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome.

"With that donation, the US has delivered emergency therapeutic food to more than 317,000 Pakistani mothers and children and enabled 779,000 frontline healthcare workers to provide nutrition counseling to parents and caregivers to help prevent malnutrition in the first place," Lalley said.

Lalley ended the video by reiterating the US's promise to "continue to work urgently with Pakistan to address the malnutrition crisis."

"Because every Pakistani child deserves the opportunity to grow up, to be healthy and strong, and to reach their full potential," he said before ending the video.