Child hunger & malnutrition

Hunger leaves children vulnerable to infection, disease and death - nearly 1/4 worldwide suffer permanent damage due to poor nutrition.

Poverty and rising prices mean many families can't afford food while climate change threatens more droughts and food crises.

But our hunger and nutrition programmes help millions every year.

Our teams provide counselling, breastfeeding support, malnutrition screening, vitamin supplements and cash transfers.

We're pioneering new methods of predicting food crises so governments can take action sooner.

Leolida, 12 adores little Lawrence, just 18 months. He plays with him and looks after him when mum Jennifer is cooking or cleaning. He even shares his food with him, resulting in Leolida often going to bed hungry.

“Lawrence is my little brother that I love very much and I would do anything to help him,” says Leolida.

Leolida believes that playing helps to distract Lawrence from his hunger. “He is not hungry when you play with him, he is just happy" says Leolida.

Leolida and his mum haven’t had to cope with Lawrence’s illness alone. One of our community health volunteers, Mark, was on hand to diagnose little Lawrence and give him the antibiotics and highly nutritious food he needed to begin his recovery.