A new approach to fighting malnutrition – Feeding centers

A new approach to fighting malnutrition - Feeding centers

May 5, 2025

Mehret (centre) enjoying a meal of fortified rice with vegetables and fruits at the feeding center in Arada Sub City.

For years, whenever ChildFund and its local implementing partners aimed to combat malnutrition, we provided food for parents to take home. But what happens when they return to households with many children and adults, all of whom are hungry? The intended child often receives only a small portion—if any at all. The result? The child suffering from malnutrition remains malnourished.

ChildFund and its local partner Future Hopes Integrated Development Organization (FHIDO) observed this pattern over and over. Despite providing nutritious foods such as fortified flours and oils to families, the expected improvements in child nutrition were minimal.

“Initially, we distributed nutritious food and hoped families would prioritize the children. But because the food was shared among all family members, we saw little weight gain in the children,” says Eleni Nigussie, Early Childhood Development Program Officer at FHIDO.

Children enjoying nutritious meals at the nutrition center in Arada Sub City in Addis Ababa.

That’s when we changed our strategy.

One of the children who benefited is three-year-old Mehret. Born into a low-income family in Addis Ababa, her mother sells traditional candles and her father works as a daily laborer. Mehret and her two older siblings suffered from severe malnutrition.

“When Mehret arrived, she was in critical condition,” recalls her aunt, Banchiamlak. “She was too weak to play. We feared we would lose her.” At the ChildFund-supported feeding center in Arada Sub-City, run in partnership with FHIDO and funded by ChildFund Korea, Mehret and 18 other severely malnourished children receive four enriched meals per week. The meals are carefully designed to support recovery and healthy growth, including fortified teff porridge, rice with vegetables, pasta with tuna, fruit, and milk.

“Every day we see children come in weak and tired, but after weeks of consistent nutrition, the transformation is amazing—weight gain, energy, smiles,” says Fekadu, a health worker at the center.

“We began inviting families to bring children directly to the feeding center,” Eleni explains. “With close monitoring and regular feeding, we began seeing noticeable improvements in just two months.”

To ensure sustainability, the program also includes nutrition education for parents. Caregivers attend regular sessions where they learn how to prepare balanced meals using locally available ingredients and how to maintain food hygiene.

“Feeding a child is only part of the solution,” Eleni adds. “We want families to carry these lessons home, so children continue thriving long after they leave the center.”

In addition to daily meals, the program provides food assistance worth USD 230 per family for three months and covers the salaries of four health workers, each earning USD 50 per month.

Health workers also conduct quarterly surveys in four districts of Arada Sub-City using MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference) measurements to identify children suffering from severe and moderate malnutrition to refer them for treatment.

To further support families, the project has facilitated medical insurance access for 592 families ensuring that children like Mehret can receive healthcare when they need it.

Today, Mehret, and the other children enrolled in the program are thriving

“She laughs, plays, and runs around like other children now,” Banchiamlak says, smiling. “We’re so grateful. This feeding center has completely transformed her.”