Every child should have good food
Our movement's child health and nutrition programmes reached 33 million children in 2023.
Children going hungry isn’t new. But many of the reasons are: pandemics, rising prices and disasters caused by climate change.
It means that, even today, 1 in 4 children don't get the nutritious food they need to explore a world of possibility. Here’s how we’re changing that.
Our hunger relief and nutrition programmes help millions every year.
Around the world, our teams provide counselling, breastfeeding support, malnutrition screening, vitamin supplements and cash transfers.
And we're pioneering new methods of predicting food crises, so governments can take action sooner.
Children's food crisis
Your support matters: a £10 monthly donation could supply 60 sachets of food paste to malnourished children every month.
How we're helping Ereng*
Ereng, 18 months, loves eating the fortified peanut paste she has been given by Community Health Promoter Charles as part of her malnutrition treatment. Here she eats the whole packet in one go.
When drought hit their village in Kenya, Ereng’s family lost everything. With no livestock left, there was no food—and 18-month-old Ereng* became dangerously malnourished.
Her mum, Lomanat*, walked for miles to reach a Save the Children-supported clinic. There, health worker Charles gave Ereng fortified peanut paste and showed Lomanat how to monitor her daughter’s health using a simple MUAC tape.
Big brother Mzee*, 8, did his part too. “I feed her well and I play with her,” he says. “If there is any food, I feed her anything that is available.”
After two months of treatment, Ereng gained 2.4kg and was discharged—healthy and smiling.
“I am very happy, because she is cured” says Lomanat. “She was in a very bad shape, she was malnourished”
*Names changed to protect identities
How serious is the problem?
- 45% of child deaths are linked to malnutrition.
- Improved breastfeeding could prevent the death of 823K under-5s
- In 2030, 129m children will suffer 'stunting' as a result of hunger.
How are we helping?
Here's a few of the things we're doing;
Northern Nigeria: Giving out small grants & dietary advice with DFID to help 60,000 pregnant women and mothers get the nutritious food they and their children need in their first 1000 days.
Niger: Tackling malnutrition in pregnant women & under 2s, focusing on breastfeeding and complementary feeding support. We're also teaching improved farming techniques & empowering women & girls to earn & save.
South Sudan: Using community-based approaches to prevent malnutrition. We also run outpatient feeding programmes to help children stay healthy.
Yemen: Distributing food and cash grants to families. A major effort is to create safe spaces and provide support for mothers to breastfeed and improve the diet of their young children. The teams are also treating children for malnutrition.
