Sudan war and climate change see parents struggle to feed their children

Port Sudan, Sudan – After a two-and-a-half-hour journey from the village of al-Lalouba, Layla Ali arrived in Port Sudan to get help for her five-year-old son, Adam. His severe malnutrition had left his ribs visibly protruding beneath his skin. He had begun to lose his appetite two weeks earlier and became too sick to move.

The distance to the hospital and Ali’s fears about the cost of treatment stopped her from rushing Adam for medical treatment. But when his condition deteriorated further, Ali had no choice but to rush him to hospital. “We spent five days in hospital while my son received treatment.

He suffers from recurring bouts of malnutrition, but this time we brought him to hospital because I was afraid he might die,” Ali told Al Jazeera. “When Adam became ill, he would stop eating. I used to give him the usual meals we prepared at home, mostly porridge and milk.