The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), despite repeated nutritional operational programs, still has the highest number of infants suffering under nourishment in the world. Western Kasaï is one of the most affected areas, with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates being very high indeed. 

In Western Kasaï, the healthcare catchment area of Kalomba, located in the Healthcare District of Luiza, is very affected by malnutrition with a global acute malnutrition rate of 15.4% and a severe acute malnutrition rate of 4.0% (CISP-ACF nutritional survey, January 2013).

The following risk factors have been identified:

High prevalence of malaria in households with infants less than five years old,

High prevalence of diarrhea in households with infants less than 5 years old,

Inappropriate childhood feeding and breast-feeding practices,

Poor hygiene and sanitation practices,

Limited access to drinking water,

Use of resources in the household to the detriment of optimal childhood feeding and nutrition.

Please refer to the full report to find out more about the information obtained from this study and the recommendations that have been made.