Humanitarian Crisis: Mary Dinah Foundation raises alarm over starving refugees

From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja

Founder of the Mary Dinah Foundation, Mary Dinah, has sounded a dire warning over the worsening malnutrition crisis ravaging women and children in Chad, Sudan and Nigeria’s troubled North-East.

Speaking in a live interview on CNN from N’Djamena, Lady Dinah declared that hunger has reached breaking point in refugee camps flooded by victims of the Sudanese conflict.

With shocking figures, she revealed that global acute malnutrition has skyrocketed to 18% in many border communities thus pushing thousands of displaced families to the brink of survival.

“Malnutrition is at an all-time high,” she said, warning that overcrowding, food shortages and poor access to basic care are turning camps into death traps for the most vulnerable.

In worst-hit areas like Ouaddai and Enned, she disclosed that food is painfully scarce, while pregnant women and children who need urgent nutritional support are bearing the brunt of the crisis.

Each statistic, she stressed, hides a heartbreaking reality: mothers watching their children go hungry in harsh, overcrowded conditions with little hope in sight. But amid the gloom, the Mary Dinah Foundation is fighting back.

Through its Zero Hunger Programme, the foundation is rolling out aggressive, life-saving interventions combining food aid with maternal care, hygiene education, immunization support, and protection services for victims of gender-based violence.

Backed by strong partnerships, including support from the United States Government, the initiative is helping families rebuild their lives in some of Africa’s most fragile zones.

Lady Dinah, however, warned that more urgent global action is needed, insisting that without sustained support, the hunger crisis could spiral further out of control.