Description:

Amid insecurity and displacement, infants and young children are among the most vulnerable. Children living in conflict zones are more than twice as likely to become malnourished than children living in a peaceful setting; about two-thirds of all malnourished children live in areas exposed to conflict. One of the most devastating impacts of these crises is acute malnutrition (also known as wasting). For these children and their caregivers, the consequences are not just immediate but life-long, affecting development, health, and the next generation. Yet, wasting is preventable and treatable when well-implemented programs - often led by local organizations under extreme pressure - deliver life-saving specialized nutrition services. Over the past 8 years, Canadian Foodgrains Bank has supported local partners to implement emergency nutrition services in some of the most complex conflict settings worldwide. These frontlines of care are where critical lessons in adaptive management emerge - not only for ensuring survival, but for supporting community-led efforts to reduce suffering, maintain dignity, and build resilience in crises.

This panel discussion will bring the voices of frontline organizations in Haiti, Somalia, and Sudan as they reflect on tackling immense barriers to providing vital emergency nutrition services. Attendees will gain insight into the nuanced realities of responding to the health needs of populations in fragile settings and learn about adaptive strategies that allow life-saving work to continue despite overwhelming challenges.

Panelists will delve into navigating insecurity, managing excessive caseloads with limited resources; relying on community-based simplified approaches to treatment; Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM+); the link between climate change, food insecurity, and malnutrition; and gender and protection issues in highly sensitive environments. Their stories of persistence will challenge participants to rethink how humanitarian nutrition programs can uphold the health of the most vulnerable in fragile contexts.

Providing quality emergency nutrition services is not just possible - it is essential, and takes a healthy dose of determination and creativity. When local actors are empowered, and adaptive management is prioritized, lives can be saved, dignity can be preserved, and the cycle of malnutrition can be interrupted, even in conflict and chaos.