In Borno State, Nigeria, hot meals are provided to women not only to make them feel cared for but also to address food scarcity. The Porridge Mums is the name of this program, which provides community-led hunger relief for mothers and children in Nigeria. It is made up of mothers who provide meals not only to postpartum mothers, but also to pregnant and lactating women and children under 5.

With the support of Action Against Hunger, groups of Porridge Mums work in units across Africa. They operate in areas where nutrition is particularly scarce, with a mission to provide women and children with a single daily meal of porridge.

Food Scarcity in Borno State and Response

Borno State, Nigeria, has been particularly vulnerable since 2009 as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency. Because of the resulting insecurity, Borno has one of the highest numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country. In addition to this large displaced population, Borno State also faces severe food insecurity.

According to the World Food Program (WFP), 5.8 million Nigerians living in Borno and two other states face food insecurity in 2026. This is why community-led hunger relief programs for mothers and children in Nigeria, such as the Porridge Mums, are so important. Groups like the Porridge Mums are vital to survival amid the food insecurity that comes with conflict.

Impact of USAID Budget Cuts

While many people recognize the importance of feeding vulnerable populations, grassroots groups like the Porridge Mums sometimes fall through the cracks of the system. Because the Porridge Mums rely on funding from Action Against Hunger, any USAID budget cuts can directly affect the availability of meals for mothers and young children in Nigeria. 

Action Against Hunger is a global charity run by a larger organization called Global Impact. Global Impact is a “trusted philanthropy advisor” to several nonprofits. 

Funding for Action Against Hunger is vital to the Porridge Mums and other community-led hunger relief programs for mothers and children in Nigeria. While these efforts are grassroots, scaling and implementation require some capital to succeed. Funding enables the mothers who run these operations to purchase ingredients, secure facilities for meal preparation and manage the logistics needed to deliver food to those in need of sustenance and comfort.

The Future

It can sometimes feel unnecessary to explain the need for nutrition relief programs. However, many of these programs benefit from outside funding, even if it is not widely advertised. For instance, for the Porridge Mums to provide hot meals across Borno State, there needs to be sufficient usable kitchen space and transportation.

While the mothers may theoretically have these resources, they may not have enough resources to scale the program in a meaningful way. This means they either would not be able to provide daily meals or the reach wouldn’t be very far. The good news is that the Porridge Mums are still operating, even with USAID cuts. The less encouraging news is that the hunger crisis in Borno, Nigeria, is not reducing.

With resources becoming more limited, this presents a challenge. Fortunately, restoring funding for these women and children is not a futile effort.

– Nicole Miller

Nicole is based in Pittsburgh, PA, USA and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr