Nigeria: Tom brown recipe helping to reduce child malnutrition

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams which translates to Doctors without Borders are reinforcing community-led initiatives in northern Nigeria where mothers share the tom brown recipe for malnourished children.

Kebbi state in northern Nigeria experienced a colossal spike in malnutrition cases this year, with more than 1,000 children admitted to the inpatient therapeutic feeding centre in Maiyama Hospital and more than 11,000 children enrolled in the outpatient nutrition treatment programme.

As a solution, Maryam Muhammed, head of the MSF Health Promotion and her team travel to villages in Kebbi with tables, saucepans, pots, spoons, recycled soda bottles, and soya beans, sorghum, and moringa leaves, to prepare Tom Brown, a flour blend consumed as a sweetened porridge in northern Nigeria.

It has been improved over the years by nutritionists to become a useful and very efficient tool in the prevention and treatment of moderate acute malnutrition. palm oil and groundnuts.

Maryam, active as a health promoter for more than 15 years, explains acute malnutrition and how they can fight it

“This kind of cooking demonstration is crucial because people understand that they can prevent their children from becoming acutely malnourished rather than bringing them to a facility to treat them,” says Maryam.

Based on market availability, preferences and what the family can afford, additional elements such as palm oil, moringa leaves, cow’s milk or meat can be added to the child’s diet.

The way to prepare pap is sung on repeat, and cups are handed over to children to taste-test the pap. Women are laughing and smiling, and the village elder looks upon the event with curiosity.

Maryam and her team demonstrate how to make nutritious meals for children, and call on all the mothers to have their children screened for acute malnutrition.

Among the 28 children screened, more than a third are referred to MSF’s therapeutic nutrition programme.

The authorities and partners in Nigeria must do more to tackle malnutrition, including promoting adequate infant feeding and reinforcing access to healthcare, and food security.

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