When Amina Umaru Toko, 53, was displaced to Gwoza, Nigeria, due to violence and insecurity, she didn’t expect to also be caring for her critically ill grandchild. 

Amina was entrusted with the responsibility of caring for then 19-month-old Abdullahi Ahmadu when his mother’s struggles with mental health issues rendered her unable to care for the child. She had been unable to breastfeed, and Abdullahi’s health was in critical condition when he was brought into Amina’s care—near death due to malnutrition. 

“He was in such a bad condition, I thought he would not last the night," Amina recalls of those first terrifying days caring for her grandchild. "I was devastated; I could not sleep. At several intervals during the night, I would check on him, thinking he had passed away. But this boy was alive, fighting for his life."

“When he survived the night, the next morning, I put him on my back, and that was when we went to the IRC.”

Abdullahi was in a critical condition when he came into his grandmother’s care, but thanks to essential EU-funded health support and guidance from the IRC, he was able to get the malnutrition treatment he needed.
Abdullahi was in a critical condition when he came into his grandmother’s care, but with support and guidance from the IRC, he was able to get the malnutrition treatment he needed.
Photo: Marvellous Samsom for IRC

The IRC, with funds from the European Union (EU), helped get Abdullahi to the hospital where he received critical malnutrition treatment that ultimately saved his life. After four days of essential support, Abdullahi was discharged and returned to his grandmother’s home healthier than before. 

Along with continued malnutrition treatment, the family were also provided with critical household and personal care items to take home for his long-term well-being.

“I am thankful to the IRC. When I took my grandson to the hospital, they gave me some household items—a basin, a potty for the child, which we are currently using. They really helped me. They gave me rice, plastic containers, soap, and detergent.”

Amina and Abdullahi’s situation is sadly not uncommon. Amina is an internally displaced person (IDP) — someone forced to flee their home because of conflict, violence, persecution or disaster inside their own country. 

Like many other IDPs in Gwoza, Amina was displaced after insecurity and violence at the hands of non-state armed groups, which forced her to leave her home in Borno State in the northeast of Nigeria. In the last decade, millions like Amina have been displaced in Nigeria due to the ongoing conflict, militant attacks and the resulting instability. 

Internally Displaced Persons in crisis-affected areas like Amina and Abdullahi are at heightened risk of acute malnutrition, which is especially dangerous for children. It’s the leading cause of child mortality in these vulnerable areas.
Displaced people in crisis-affected areas like Amina and Abdullahi are at heightened risk of acute malnutrition, which is especially dangerous for children.
Photo: Marvellous Samsom for IRC

Because of their situation, displaced families often face challenges like poor sanitation, disrupted food access, and loss of income—all of which can contribute to acute malnutrition, the leading cause of child mortality and disease in crisis-affected regions.

The IRC, in collaboration with the EU, works in Nigeria and across West Africa to support families like Amina’s, combating these issues through comprehensive nutrition programs. Community health workers screen for severe malnutrition in children, make hospital referrals, and provide ready-to-use therapeutic foods and ongoing inpatient care for more complicated cases.

In addition to treatment, the IRC also emphasizes prevention through nutrition and hygiene training for caregivers and local health workers, as well as monitoring and follow-up care to track recovery and ensure long-term health.

“He is better now… I am very happy that he is now recovered.” Amina is grateful to the IRC not only for their life-saving malnutrition support, but also for the resources, tools, and supplies they provided her in order to continue her grandson’s care.
“He is better now… I am very happy that he is now recovered.” Amina is grateful to the IRC not only for their life-saving malnutrition support, but also for the resources, tools, and supplies they provided her in order to continue her grandson’s care.
Photo: Marvellous Samsom for IRC

It’s been more than a year since Amina and Abdullahi’s first encounter with the IRC, and Abdullahi has made a full recovery; eating better than ever before.

"He is better now and eats better than before,” says Amina. "I am very happy that he is now fully recovered.” Their story is a hopeful reminder of the resilience of caregivers and communities when given proper resources and care.

How is the IRC working to treat malnutrition in Nigeria? 

In Nigeria, the IRC is tackling acute malnutrition with teams working across 7 hospitals and 65 community facilities. Across 2023 a total of 125,372 children under the age of 5 received treatment from our teams.

Using a new approach, community health workers, embedded in local communities, are also able to diagnose a child using a color-coded, numbered measuring tape, and treat them using a nutritional peanut paste. 

In areas where access and transportation are limited, these innovations have been essential. The IRC continues to advocate for simplified approaches that allow organizations to treat more children by integrating the treatment for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) using the same resources, maximizing impact and expanding access for those most in need.

This streamlined method, proven to help over 90% of malnourished children recover within weeks, is easier for health workers and helps prevent children from deteriorating into severe malnutrition.

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