Her gaze is cautious yet determined, meeting the camera from the corner of her eye. Three-year-old Aminata Barry drinks from a cup while holding a sachet of ready-to-use therapeutic food — a small but vital support in her journey toward recovery. In that quiet moment, she shows autonomy, resilience, and dignity: she takes care of herself.
Aminata and her mother fled their home village of Bagasse after attacks forced them to leave everything behind — their house, belongings, even family members. They now live in the Sénou displaced-persons site near Bamako, Mali, where daily life is a struggle.
Malnutrition remains one of the most common childhood illnesses in West Africa, affecting more than 14 million children under five. Yet despite its prevalence, it is still a neglected health crisis, often overshadowed by more visible emergencies. This neglect has real consequences: the therapeutic foods that save lives are increasingly underfunded. In 2025, funding shortfalls and logistical challenges left gaps in supply, putting children like Aminata at risk of missing the care they need to survive. The sachet she holds was provided through a former USAID-funded program — once a cornerstone of global malnutrition response.
At the Sénou site, ALIMA (The Alliance for International Medical Action) and its national partner AMCP-SP (Alliance Médicale Contre le Paludisme – Santé Population) provide essential care through mobile clinics and nutrition units: screening children, delivering therapeutic food, and offering psychosocial support to families marked by trauma. At the same time, ALIMA leads research on simplified treatment protocols to optimize the use of therapeutic foods, ensuring that limited resources reach as many children as possible.
In a single frame, it reminds us that even the smallest interventions, guided by skilled and dedicated teams, can empower children like Aminata to survive, grow, and reclaim their future.
Cover Photo : © Cora Portais / ALIMA
