An international medical humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has launched a new nutrition intervention in Kebbi aimed at tackling rising cases of child malnutrition through the use of Tom Brown, a locally produced food supplement.
The initiative follows a significant increase in severe acute malnutrition (SAM) cases recorded among children in Kebbi between 2024 and 2025. MSF estimates that more than 16,000 children suffering from moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) will benefit from the programme before the end of 2026.
Speaking on the development, MSF Nigeria Country Coordinator, Stuart Alexander Zimble, described malnutrition as a major public health challenge in the state.
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“Malnutrition remains alarmingly widespread in Kebbi and is a leading cause of death among children under five.
Authorities and humanitarian actors must urgently increase their support to prevent further avoidable deaths,” he said.
According to UNICEF data cited by MSF, an estimated 30 newborns and 100 children under the age of five die daily in Kebbi State, with about half of those deaths linked to malnutrition.
High levels of stunting, widespread malaria infections, and low vaccination coverage have further worsened child health outcomes in the state.
MSF has been providing free treatment for children with severe and complicated malnutrition in Kebbi since March 2022 through two inpatient therapeutic feeding centres and four outpatient therapeutic feeding centres.
However, growing insecurity, limited healthcare access, climate-related challenges, and declining livelihoods have continued to fuel malnutrition across affected communities.
The organisation revealed that after it suspended admissions for moderate acute malnutrition cases in September 2024 to prioritise severe cases, medical teams observed a 41 per cent increase in severe malnutrition cases treated at outpatient facilities and a 39 per cent rise in inpatient admissions.
“We sadly observed that children who initially presented with moderate malnutrition deteriorated and later returned with severe, often life-threatening symptoms,” Zimble noted.
In response, MSF revised its strategy in early 2026 to focus on early intervention. The organisation officially launched the Tom Brown programme ahead of the annual lean season, a period of food scarcity that typically begins in May before harvests are available.
Tom Brown, also known locally as Garin Kunu, is a nutritious flour blend made from sorghum, soya beans, and groundnuts. The product is widely known and accepted within local communities, making it a sustainable option for addressing moderate malnutrition.
Under the programme’s first phase, MSF plans to distribute approximately 20,000 kilograms of the nutritional blend in Jega and Maiyama Local Government Areas to support moderately malnourished children aged between six months and five years.
The initiative forms part of a broader package of community-based interventions that includes health education, family planning services, malaria testing, and efforts to strengthen the capacity of primary healthcare facilities to identify and manage malnutrition cases early.
MSF said previous implementation of the Tom Brown approach in Gombe State yielded encouraging results. A study conducted between 2022 and 2023 involving 1,207 moderately malnourished children recorded a recovery rate of 90.2 per cent, while only 7.5 per cent of participants defaulted from treatment.
Zimble called on government authorities, humanitarian agencies, and development partners to invest more in community-driven nutrition programmes, noting that locally sourced solutions such as Tom Brown could be scaled up to reach more vulnerable children.
He added that community-led production models, including community kitchens and other local initiatives, could improve access, strengthen local ownership, and ensure long-term sustainability of nutrition interventions.
MSF said the programme will initially be implemented in selected communities and monitored closely, with the possibility of expansion to all five local government areas where the organisation currently operates in Kebbi State. By December 2026, the organisation expects about 16,234 children to benefit from the initiative.
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