Mia Farrow: Crisis in Chad

© UNICEF/NYHQ2012-0045/Olivier Asselin | On February 13, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow cradles an acutely malnourished baby girl at a UNICEF-supported therapeutic feeding center in the western city of Mao, capital of Kanem Region. More than 100,000 Chadian children under age five suffer from malnutrition.

It's been two years since my last visit to Mao, a sand-smothered town in the belt of the Sahel. People here used to farm and rise animals but all that has changed. The rains haven't fallen in years. Four seasons of crops have failed. The animals are dying and the children too. The world hears little about the emergency in the Sahel, but as I type these words, 1.1 million children are facing starvation. Without immediate help there is no hope. After visiting emaciated babies in an emergency medical center it felt good to see the warehouse where UNICEF has stocked three months worth of lifesaving therapeutic foods. But three months isn't going to be enough. These most vulnerable children are easy prey for diseases including measles, meningitis, cholera, and polio. While in Chad, I will attend the launching of a national polio vaccination campaign with partners committed to eradicating this crippling disease, including Rotary, the Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Chadian Red Cross. rished baby girl at a UNICEF-supported therapeutic feeding center in the western city of Mao, capital of Kanem Region. More than 100,000 Chadian children under age five suffer from malnutrition.