BY LAWRENCE MTIMAUNENENJI, 17 OCTOBER 2012

The scenes are shocking as Dr. Vivian Luiz make rounds at the Municipality hospital in Caala in Huambo province, 700km south of Luanda. Scenes of wasted children are not fancy to watch.

Dr Luiz is responsible for the supplementary feeding centre for children under the age of five. More than 20 children are brought here for supplementary feeding every month.

"It is a worrisome situation and things are not improving. We are still registering critically malnourished children every month at this centre," said Dr. Luiz.

Most of these children come with their mothers who are just as badly affected by lack of food. The harvest failed miserably this year. Malnutrition among children is sky rocketing.

"Our critical needs are drugs, food rations like milk and I call upon you our partners like World Vision to supply us with these essentials the soonest" she concluded.

Even though Dr. Luiz is busy treating the severely malnourished children and their mothers, she says that her lifesaving actions are not enough.

She recommended that long term projects that would ensure that people produce enough food to last them through hard times is the only way of stamping out hunger and malnutrition and other diseases.

Angola is facing a huge food deficit this year. An estimated 1.8 million people are going hungry. Government reports indicate that thousands of children are suffering from varying levels of malnutrition.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries says the country received less than 60 per cent of normal rain 2011-2012 rainfall season. The rains only lasted from September to early May this year, resulting in an estimated 400,000 ton decrease in agricultural production country-wide.

The location of Caala hospital in Huambo province is among the worst drought hit areas. Other affected provinces are Bengo, Kwanza Sul, Benguela, Huila, Namibe, Cunene, Moxico, Bie and Zaire.

Latest estimates from the 2007 National Nutrition Survey, indicate nearly 30% of children under 5 were stunted, more than 8% are wasted, and 15% underweight.

If the situation was bad in 2007, just imagine what it is right now - with thousands of families having no food or the ability to afford any in the markets.

The clock is ticking as Dr Luiz desperately tries to save one child after another
.