IRISH AID, the State’s overseas development agency, is to give €250,000 to a not-for-profit Irish company providing ready-to-eat pastes to severely malnourished children in African countries.
Minister of State for Development Peter Power said the funding would allow Valid Nutrition, an Irish-registered charity, increase capacity at its manufacturing plant in Malawi. The fund will also help the charity to extend production and distribution of ready-to-eat pastes to millions of malnourished children, with the co-operation of manufacturers in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Nigeria.
Irish Aid has previously given €1.37 million to Valid Nutrition, which, with its partners, has developed a treatment for severe malnutrition that is endorsed by the World Health Organisation.
Children are targeted before they develop life-threatening complications associated with malnutrition, and provided with nutritionally balanced packets of ready-to-eat paste, so they can be treated at home, according to the company.
This reduces the risk of infection and death associated with hospitals and feeding centres.
Mr Power said Irish Aid was “committed to ensuring that 20 per cent of our total overseas aid budget is devoted to specific actions to reduce hunger”.