The lifesaving ‘peanut paste’ for children

CONNECT May 2026 | Bringing you closer to what matters – every child, every month

This email was sent

May 26, 2026 2:01am EDT

Is this your brand on Milled? Claim it.

Matte tone:

CONNECT May 2026

Plumpy’Nut® is used to treat severe acute malnutrition in young children like Kali.

In Burkina Faso, eleven-month-old Kali has reached a memorable day. After suffering from malnutrition, he has recovered. For his mother, Sétou, watching her child in pain has been difficult, and often, she feared for his life.

"I was scared because I didn't even know if my baby would make it to the next day,” Sétou says. When they finally reached a health centre, Kali received lifesaving treatment, including Plumpy’Nut®, a peanut-based therapeutic paste packed with nutrients that children can eat straight from the sachet.

“I didn't know my child would survive. Thanks to the Plumpy'Nut®, he's recovered,” Sétou says. With UNICEF’s support, children like Kali are getting the care and lifesaving nutrition they need.

In this month’s issue:

As always, thank you for reading – I hope these stories inspire and move you.

Best wishes,

Andrea Andres
CONNECT Editor
UNICEF Australia

Ebola outbreak threatens children’s lives

A deadly Ebola outbreak is unfolding across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, where the World Health Organization has declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

For children, the danger goes far beyond the virus itself. They face the heartbreaking loss of parents and caregivers, disrupted access to healthcare, and growing risks to their safety and wellbeing. As essential services falter and stigma rises, children are left increasingly exposed. Ongoing insecurity and population movement are making it harder to contain the spread, putting even more young lives at risk.

LEARN MORE >>

30 years of a lifesaving 'peanut paste'

This year marks 30 years since the development of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), a small lifesaving paste that has revolutionised the care of children with severe acute malnutrition.

Over the past three decades, UNICEF has delivered 8.7 billion sachets to children living in the world’s most challenging environments, making UNICEF the largest supplier of RUTF globally. This milestone reflects extraordinary progress, but it also highlights how much work remains.

LEARN MORE >>

Period poverty: a silent crisis

28 May marks World Menstrual Health Day, but for many around the world, something as natural as menstruation continues to hold them back.

Every month, more than two billion people menstruate – one of the most universal experiences in human biology – and yet, for too many, it’s a source of shame, suffering and lost opportunity. This is the quiet crisis of period poverty.

LEARN MORE >>

More than a refuge

Children across Lebanon face an escalating humanitarian emergency. Since early March, intensifying conflict in the Middle East has increased violence within Lebanon, sharply heightening dangers for children.

UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder visited a shelter in Lebanon where families displaced by conflict are rebuilding their lives. Amid uncertainty, mothers continued to nurture their young, communities offered mutual support, and children experienced moments of laughter and healing.

WATCH NOW >>