global child malnutrition

Malnutrition and diseases are closely related. Sometimes, a disease is caused by malnutrition, other times it is a contributing cause. In fact, malnutrition is the largest contributor to diseases in the world, according to the UN Coordination Committee on Nutrition (SCN).

Malnutrition at an early age leads to a reduction in physical and mental development during childhood. For example, stunting affects more than 147 million preschool children in developing countries, according to the fifth report on the World Nutrient Situation of the SNA. This same report shows that iodine deficiency is the biggest cause, worldwide, of mental retardation and brain damage.

Malnutrition affects academic performance and studies have shown that it sometimes leads to less income in adulthood. In addition, malnutrition causes women to have babies with low birth weight.

Window of opportunity

The first two years of life offer a crucial "window of opportunity". In this period, the irreversible damage that follows child malnutrition can be prevented. WFP operations focus on the early stages of life, that is, from conception (-9 months) to 24 months of age. We try to make sure that children under 2 receive the vitamins and minerals they need.

There are two sides to the elimination of malnutrition: 1) maintain the quality and quantity of food that a person eats; and 2) ensure adequate medical care and a healthy environment. WFP's role in the fight against malnutrition is not only to give food and nutrients to people who need it, but also to act where the threat of malnutrition exists.

Daily malnutrition is a less visible form of hunger, but it affects many more people, from cities such as Jakarta in Indonesia and the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, to the mountain villages of Bolivia and Nepal. In places like these, hunger is much more than an empty stomach.

For weeks, even months, those affected must live with far less than the recommended 2,100 kilocalories that an average person needs to lead a healthy life.

The body compensates for this lack of energy by decreasing their physical and mental activities. A hungry mind can not concentrate, a hungry body does not take the initiative, a hungry child loses all desire to play and study.

Hunger also weakens the immune system. Deprived of adequate nutrition, hungry children are especially vulnerable and become too weak to fight the disease and may die from common infections such as measles and diarrhea. Each year, almost 7 million children die before the age of five; malnutrition is a key factor in more than a third of these deaths