Ensuring adequate nutrition in refugee and

migrant children and women: What does it take?

Tuesday, 25 May 2021
9:00 – 11:00 am (Panama) 1
Panelists
Host government representatives Donor government representatives

Dinte Conway Gloria Puertas Aznárez

Director, Food Policy, Ministry of Regional Health and Nutrition
Health, Guyana Expert, Regional Office for Latin
America and the Caribbean,
European Commission, DG ECHO

Maria Juliana Ruiz

First Lady of Colombia Janine Cocker
Head of Development
Cooperation, High Commission of
Canada to Guyana and Suriname
Zulma Fonseca
Director of Nutrition, Colombian
Institute of Family Welfare

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Panelists

R4V partners
Youssouf Abdel-Jelil
América Arias
Deputy Regional Director, UNICEF
Country Director, Action Against Regional Office for Latin America
Hunger, Peru and the Caribbean

Paula Veliz
Regional Nutrition Specialist,
UNICEF Regional Office for Latin
America and the Caribbean
Yvette Fautsch
Coordinator, R4V Nutrition sector
Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF
Regional Office for Latin America
and the Caribbean

Moderator
Victoria Ward
Mariana Coolican
Regional Director, Save the
Children Regional Office for Latin Partnerships Public Sector Officer at the UNICEF
America and the Caribbean Latin American and the Caribbean Regional
Office 3
Youssouf Abdel-Jelil
Deputy Regional Director, UNICEF LACRO

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Maria Juliana Ruiz
First Lady of Colombia

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The role and importance of the Nutrition sector
in humanitarian contexts

Yvette Fautsch
Coordinator, R4V Nutrition sector
Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF LACRO

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 The Nutrition sector targets population groups
inherently vulnerable to malnutrition

Pregnant women Children Especially

Breastfeeding women
under 5 children under 2

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In humanitarian contexts, children under 5 and pregnant and breastfeeding
women are at increased risk of malnutrition, infection, and death

HUMANITARIAN CONTEXT
MALNUTRITION

Pregnant women Children Especially

Breastfeeding women
under 5 children under 2
Higher risk of getting an infection, weakness, • Impaired physical and mental development
lower productivity • Higher risk of dying due to infectious diseases
• In resource poor contexts non-breastfed children
Higher risk of Care given to the are more likely to die from pneumonia and
• premature birth infant can be affected, diarrhea than breastfed children
• miscarriage leading to their poor • Young children with acute malnutrition: up to
• stillbirth health and nine times more likely to die than well-nourished
• maternal death development. children 9
If the brain does not develop at the right time, with the adequate nutrients,
it will cause irreversible damage

Developed brain Underdeveloped brain

Ortiz-Andrellucchi, et al.
102006
If the brain does not develop at the right time, with the adequate nutrients,
it will cause irreversible damage

Developed neuron Under-developed neuron

Ortiz-Andrellucchi, et al.
112006
Maternal and child nutrition is determined by diverse factors

UNICEF Conceptual Framework on the Determinants of Maternal and Child Nutrition, 2020 12
 In humanitarian contexts, limited access to food, safe drinking water, health services and
unhygienic environments compromise adequate diets and care overall leading to malnutrition

Limited access
to health

Food insecurity Limited access to Unhygienic

safe drinking water environments

UNICEF Conceptual Framework on the Determinants of Maternal and Child Nutrition, 2020 13
The Nutrition sector has a key role to play in mitigating the effects on the
immediate determinants: diets and care

Nutrition

Health

Food Security WASH WASH WASH

UNICEF Conceptual Framework on the Determinants of Maternal and Child Nutrition, 2020 14
Ensuring access to food is important, but not sufficient to ensure the
nutrient needs of the most vulnerable are met

Food Security Nutrition

Increase physical and economic • Address specific nutritional needs of

access to food for the general vulnerable groups according to age and
population condition to prevent all forms of malnutrition
• Identify and treat malnutrition
• Improve survival 15
 Nutrition interventions are life-saving
Prevention comes first

Nutrition interventions aiming to prevent malnutrition

Skilled breastfeeding counseling Skilled complementary feeding counseling Skilled counseling and micronutrient
supplementation to fortify food young
children’s food

Counseling on healthy diets and

micronutrient supplementation for Energy-protein supplementation for
pregnant and breastfeeding women young children on the move
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 Nutrition interventions are life-saving
If prevention fails, treatment is a must

Nutrition interventions to identify and treat malnutrition

IDENTIFICATION TREATMENT

Hemoglobin
Middle-up arm
levels
circumference

Height

Weight

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 Several resources are needed to implement nutrition interventions

Staff to plan, implement, Skilled health Regular training Supplies

coordinate, and monitor personnel
the nutrition activities

Nutrition Updated policies, Funds

Data on the
surveillance and guidelines and protocols
Nutrition situation
monitoring systems to COVID-19 context
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 The R4V Nutrition sector faces a critical funding gap, limiting
implementation and scale-up of nutrition interventions
Refugee and Migration Response Plan 2021 May 2021

Funding gap

No earmarked funds from 2020 used in this year : close

to $ 500 000 → 4% of total requirements
(still to appear in the system)

Progress on population reached: 6%

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A look into R4V partners response – preventing, detecting & treating
malnutrition among the most vulnerable

América Arias
Country Director, Action Against Hunger, Peru

Victoria Ward
Regional Director, Save the Children LACRO

Paula Veliz
Regional Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF LACRO

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Saving Children´s Lives: the Nutrition
Response to the Venezuela Migration
Crisis
 Video

Donor´s Conference May 2021

We are reaching the most vulnerable children

“Helping these babies and

saving their lives are the
reasons for this work. It's
priceless. It's wonderful
when we accomplish this.”

Donor´s Conference May 2021

 Preventing malnutrition among migrant children

“Helping these babies and

• Malnutrition is linked to almost 50% saving their lives are the
of all deaths of children U5 (WHO, reasons for this work. It's
2000) priceless. It's wonderful
• Preventing malnutrition in the first when we accomplish this.”
1,000 days of life is priority
• Greater opportunities for children
to achieve optimal growth and
development

Donor´s Conference May 2021

Break the cycle of malnutrition

• Window of
opportunity

• Breastfeeding and
complementary
feeding

• Integration with other

sectors

Donor´s Conference May 2021

 Breastfeeding

“Helping these babies and

• “If a new vaccine became available saving their lives are the
that could prevent 1 million or more reasons for this work. It's
child deaths a year, and that was priceless. It's wonderful
moreover cheap, safe, administered when we accomplish this.”
orally, and required no cold chain, it
would become an immediate public
health imperative‘’.
(Lancet,1994).

Donor´s Conference May 2021

Promote, Protect and Support Breastfeeding

• Promotion
• Workshops
• Breastfeeding corners
• Individual counseling
• Support groups
• MAMI

Donor´s Conference May 2021

Respuesta nutricional de UNICEF a la crisis migratoria de Venezuela

©UNICEF/ECU/2019/Arcos
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 Respuesta nutricional de UNICEF en contextos humanitarios

Respuestas humanitarias de UNICEF en materia de nutrición:

• Apoyo a la alimentación de lactantes y niños pequeños

• Apoyo a la suplementación nutricional para las poblaciones vulnerables

• Proporcionar tratamientos que salvan vidas

• Realización de evaluaciones y vigilancia

• Fomento de la resiliencia

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 Respuesta nutricional de UNICEF a la crisis migratoria de Venezuela

Respuesta en Nutrición
• Socio de la plataforma R4V desde 2018
• Presencia en 6 países: Brasil, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, Guyana y Trinidad y Tobago
• Coordinación sectorial

Financiamiento 2020

Alcance 2020

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 Algunos resultados alcanzados

Trabajo conjunto con las autoridades sanitarias locales para mejorar el

apoyo nutricional

Identificación, evaluación y apoyo nutricional a grupos vulnerables en

tránsito

Adaptación de las actividades de Nutrición al contexto de COVID-19

Integración con otros sectores

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Respuesta nutricional de UNICEF a la crisis migratoria de Venezuela

Taller sobre
alimentación
complementaria en
un albergue en Brasil

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Respuesta nutricional de UNICEF a la crisis migratoria de Venezuela

Consejería
especializada en
lactancia materna
brindada por
personal capacitado

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 Respuesta nutricional de UNICEF a la crisis migratoria de Venezuela

Suplemento nutricional para la prevención de

la desnutrición - transito migratorio en ©UNICEF/ECU/2019/Arcos

Ecuador
©UNICEF/ECU/2019/Arcos
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 Respuesta nutricional de UNICEF a la crisis migratoria de Venezuela

Tamizaje e identificación
de casos de desnutrición
aguda y crónica a niños
y niñas venezolanos
menores de 5 años en la
frontera de Peru © UNICEF/UN0279728/Vilca © UNICEF/UN0407478/Vilca

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 Respuesta nutricional de UNICEF a la crisis migratoria de Venezuela

Tamizaje e identificación
de casos de anemia a
niños y niñas
venezolanos menores de
5 años en una unidad
móvil de salud en la
frontera en Ecuador

©UNICEF/ECU/2019/Arcos
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Discussion: What does it take to ensure adequate nutrition in vulnerable
refugee & migrant groups?

Dinte Conway
Gloria Puertas Aznárez
Director, Food Policy,
Regional Health and Nutrition
Ministry of Health,
Expert, Regional Office for Latin
Guyana
America and the Caribbean,
European Commission, DG ECHO

Zulma Fonseca Janine Cocker

Director of Nutrition,
Colombian Institute of
Family Welfare
Head of Development
Cooperation, High Commission
of Canada to Guyana and
Suriname
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R4V data via UNICEF
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Discussion: What does it take to ensure adequate nutrition in vulnerable
refugee & migrant groups?

Dinte Conway
Gloria Puertas Aznárez
Director, Food Policy,
Regional Health and Nutrition
Ministry of Health,
Expert, Regional Office for Latin
Guyana
America and the Caribbean,
European Commission, DG ECHO

Zulma Fonseca Janine Cocker

Director of Nutrition,
Colombian Institute of
Family Welfare
Head of Development
Cooperation, High Commission
of Canada to Guyana and
Suriname
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Discussion: What does it take to ensure adequate nutrition in vulnerable
refugee & migrant groups?

América Arias
Country Director, Action Against Hunger, Peru

Victoria Ward
Regional Director, Save the Children LACRO

Paula Veliz
Regional Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF LACRO

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 Closing

Mariana Coolican
Partnerships Public Sector Officer at the UNICEF
Latin American and the Caribbean Regional Office

Dinte Conway
Director, Food Policy, Ministry of Health, Guyana

Youssouf Abdel-Jelil
Deputy Regional Director, UNICEF LACRO

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Thank you

©UNICEF/ECU/2019/Arcos
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