Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called for greater attention to the connection between malnutrition and mental health, as millions of children in northern Nigeria continue to face both crises.
In 2024 alone, over 300,000 malnourished children were treated across MSF-supported facilities in Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Bauchi, Borno, and Sokoto States — a 25 percent increase from 2023. Behind these numbers, MSF says, are deep psychological wounds affecting both children and their caregivers.
“Malnutrition doesn’t just affect the child physically. It has psychological, emotional, and behavioural implications,” said Kauna Hope Bako, MSF’s Mental Health Supervisor in Bauchi. “They’re two sides of the same coin — malnutrition can lead to mental health problems, and mental health problems can lead to malnutrition.”
To break this vicious cycle, MSF has integrated mental health care into its nutrition programmes. Activities in feeding centres include play therapy, caregiver counselling, support groups, and stress management training. Fathers are also engaged through special sessions to support family recovery.
Between January and June 2025, MSF admitted 32,940 severely malnourished children to inpatient feeding centres and 136,255 to outpatient centres across northern Nigeria. During the same period, more than 30,000 mental health sessions were conducted for children and caregivers.
“By addressing both the physical and psychological needs, we help families heal completely,” Bako said. “It’s not just about treating the disease — it’s about restoring hope and dignity.”
As Nigeria joins the world in marking World Mental Health Day, MSF reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that every child not only survives but thrives — in both body and mind.
