A child is measured as part of a screening for malnutrition carried out in conjunction with UNICEF.
In Mauritania alone, the drought induced food crisis is affecting over 700,000 people, including 350,000 children under 18. Aid agencies are projecting that this year alone over 12,000 children could suffer from severe acute malnutrition and many are in danger of dying. According to UNICEF, 200,000 children in Mauritania are malnourished and poor nutrition is the underlying cause of half of all child mortality in the country. Overall in the Sahel region over 15million people are affected.