Food Security Congo, Democratic Republic of the Project #55394

Healthy and Happy: children's food security in RDC

by ALEIMAR - Voluntary Organization

Project Report | Aug 7, 2026
One Year of Hope: Fighting Child Malnutrition in Sambwa

By Francesca Pellegatta | Project Manager

Screening

Dear Friends,

thanks to your generous support, we have successfully completed the first year of our child malnutrition program in Sambwa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Over the past twelve months, 60 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition have received life-saving treatment through three consecutive cycles of care. The results have been extremely encouraging: 51 children recovered enough to move from intensive treatment to the stabilization phase, while the remaining children continued receiving specialized care until their condition improved. Most importantly, no deaths were recorded among the children enrolled in the program.

Beyond medical care, the project has strengthened the local health system by training healthcare workers and community volunteers in the early detection and treatment of malnutrition. Mothers also took part in practical nutrition sessions, learning how to prepare healthy meals using locally available ingredients, helping prevent future cases of malnutrition.

Building on these achievements, the second year of the project began in May 2026 with an important milestone: thanks to increased resources, the program can now support 40 children every four months—double the number treated during the pilot phase.

In May, staff from Aleimar and AMKA travelled to Sambwa to monitor the project alongside our local partner, the Augustinian Sisters, and the medical team. During May and June, continuous practical training sessions were carried out for healthcare workers and community volunteers to further strengthen local capacity.

During the first community screening of this new phase, 70 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition were identified. Although the project has doubled its capacity, the number of children needing urgent treatment is even higher.

This is, on one hand, a sign that the project has become deeply rooted in the community and that families trust the local medical staff enough to seek help. On the other hand, it is a worrying reminder that child malnutrition remains a growing emergency in this part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Your support has already given dozens of children a second chance at life. Today, more children are waiting for that same opportunity.

With your continued generosity, we can reach even more children before it is too late. Thank you for standing with us and with the families of Sambwa!

Screening

children waiting for treatment

Preparation of Protein-Rich Food Supplements

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Apr 2, 2026
Fighting Malnutrition: Latest Results from Sambwa

By Francesca Pellegatta | Project Leader

Follow-up screening

Dear Friends,

we are glad to share a new update on our project to fight child malnutrition in Sambwa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Between January and April, a new group of 20 children suffering from acute malnutrition has been enrolled in the program. Each child follows a 4-month care pathway: the first two months focus on intensive treatment (UNTA), followed by two months of stabilization and recovery (UNS).

After the first two months of care, at the beginning of March 2026, we observed very encouraging results. 16 children under the age of five showed significant improvement and were able to move out of the acute malnutrition phase into the stabilization program. The remaining 4 children, who were in more serious condition, are continuing their intensive treatment and are being closely monitored.

All children will remain in the program until the end of April, when a final evaluation will help us understand the overall outcomes of this cycle of care.

During the entire treatment period, children and their families receive specific nutritional support. Children in the intensive phase (UNTA) receive weekly food packages made of peanut flour, powdered milk, oil, and sugar—essential ingredients to help them recover quickly. Once they move to the stabilization phase (UNS), families receive monthly food packages including maize flour, soy flour, sugar, and oil, to support continued recovery at home.

We would like to thank you for your valuable support, which makes all of this possible. Your contribution is helping us give these children a real chance to grow healthy and strong.

In May, Aleimar and AMKA will travel to Congo for a field monitoring visit. This will be an important opportunity to assess the progress of the project and share new updates with you.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us!

Distribution of food kits

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Dec 4, 2025
A Journey Toward Health - Sambwa Nutrition Update

By Elisa Cappai | Project Leader

Dear Donors,
we’re happy to share some important updates on the encouraging progress made in improving the nutritional health of the children we support in Sambwa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

At the beginning of September, Arianna, Aleimar’s Head of Communication and Fundraising, together with three volunteers, visited the intervention areas to collect updated information on how our programs are progressing. Thanks to our valuable collaboration with Amka Onlus and the Augustinian Sisters, we observed very encouraging results: of the 20 severely malnourished children taken into care between late May and early June, 14 showed significant improvements, moving into the moderate malnutrition program.

During summer, Amka’s local nutritionist held a practical demonstration on meal preparation and the use of high-protein foods for community representatives in the Kabufu area. In the same occasion, families also received food packages to support home nutrition. During the monitoring visits, our team assessed all the children enrolled in the nutrition programs: of the 18 moderately malnourished children, 14 were discharged because they had fully recovered. One new case of severe malnutrition was identified and added to the two children already in treatment, along with four children followed for moderate malnutrition.

In September, thanks to field monitoring activities, 20 new severely malnourished children were identified and enrolled in the UNTA nutritional protocol. At the end-of-October evaluation, after two months of treatment, the results were very positive: 18 of these children improved their nutritional status and moved into the moderate malnutrition program (UNS).

Meanwhile, training sessions on meal preparation continued, along with the distribution of food packages. Mothers played an active role in assembling the nutritional kits, further strengthening community participation and awareness.

Thanks to your support and the tireless commitment of our local partners and team members, we are achieving truly meaningful results. We look forward to continuing this journey together.

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