Hunger
Children die when poverty, poor health and hunger conspire to end lives. We’re working flat out to tackle malnutrition through our work.
Every year, 3.1 million children die from malnutrition-related causes — accounting for 35% of children’s deaths. The scale of the problem is huge. The chronic form of malnutrition, known as stunting, affects 178 million children — one-third of all children under five-years old in developing countries
Children who are stunted are shorter than average. Their brain development is also affected, which has major implications later in life on their schooling and productivity.
Two-thirds of all stunted children live in Asia, and one-third live in Africa. Half of the world’s stunted children live in just eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Sudan and Vietnam. 34% of the world’s stunted children live in India.
Food crisis
From 2005, world food prices rose steadily, peaking in 2008. In most countries, prices remain higher than they were from 1997 — 2007, and in some countries they have yet to decline. This has serious implications for the survival and future of millions of children. We estimate that the 2007-08 food price crisis resulted in at least 4.3 million more children becoming malnourished.
Window of opportunity
Malnutrition primarily occurs from conception to the child’s second birthday. The growth of the baby in the mother’s womb is the first point at which the effects of poor diet are felt. A significant proportion of babies from the eight countries listed above are born with low birth weight. After two years of age it’s much harder to reverse the effects of chronic malnutrition.
If a pregnant woman and a baby under the age of two have access to an adequate and nutritious diet, the child’s future opportunities are greatly improved.
Our comprehensive approach to reducing hunger
We carry out research and projects to help children affected or most at risk of malnutrition; we advocate for improved policies to combat the problem. Our comprehensive approach always includes a combined focus on nutrition and people’s food security and livelihoods (people’s way of earning a living to pay for essentials such as food), particularly cash transfers, so that families can be better prepared and more able to cope with natural and economic shocks.
Find out more about how we're tackling hunger.
Hungry for Change
Our new report, Hungry for Change, presents an eight-step plan of action for tackling global child hunger.
Read more about the eight steps here.
