Three months ago, new images of a skeletal Somali baby named Minhaj Gedi Farah shocked the world. When taken by the International Rescue Committee from Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp and a severe famine zone, to a safer and better-equipped camp in neighboring Kenya, the seven-month-old weighed just 7 pounds. Minhaj's condition was so severe, he instantly became "the face of famine." Minhaj was given three blood transfusions and put on an intensive feeding regimen with Plumpynut, a fortified peanut paste, and now weighs a healthy 18 pounds and is crawling. Look at those chubby cheeks!
The sad news is that 2 million Somalis still don't have access to food. Recent rains have turned the bush to sludge and war continues to rage along the Kenyan border. Those that are lucky enough to make it past the borders are severely malnourished and suffering from diseases like measles, cholera and malaria. The U.N. Children's Fund said around 168,000 children under the age of 5 are at risk of dying in the next few weeks.
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