Child hunger affects people not only in third-world countries but also in rich countries. Low-income households in the United Kingdom and the United States are forced to forego basic necessities such as food. Worldwide, over 60 million children go to school hungry. Given the long-term repercussions of hunger on a child, that is a concerning figure.
There are currently 815 million people in the world who do not have adequate food. Malnutrition is responsible for about half of all deaths among children under the age of five worldwide, killing approximately 3 million children each year.
Poor nutrition kills 3.1 million children each year (8,500 children every day). Approximately 28% of all children in underdeveloped nations are considered underweight, or their growth has been stunted due to hunger.
Children often only eat rice with some salt in some poorer communities in Asia
A child needs to eat a healthy meal every single day if they want to have a shot at a successful future. Children who are hungry have a higher chance of being hospitalized and developing illnesses because their immune systems are compromised.
Hunger makes children less likely to succeed in school because a brain deficient in essential nutrients is incapable of concentrating. Children all throughout the world experience the following additional impacts as a result of inadequate nutrition during their formative years:
Underweight
Unhealthy body weight is a condition that develops from persistent hunger as a child. The majority of children impacted by this issue are found in Africa and Asia, with only a portion of the 99 million affected in the United States.
Stunting
This occurs when a child is shorter than the average height for their age. It affects millions of children under the age of five around the world.
Vitamin and nutrient deficiencies
Lack of food is accompanied by a deficiency in the right nutrients that the body requires. This causes illnesses linked to such inadequacies. A child’s likelihood of becoming sick rises due to vitamin A deficiency because it impairs their immune system. A child’s gastrointestinal tract is impacted by a zinc deficiency, which can cause diarrhea and, in extreme cases, death from dehydration.
The reliable availability of food is one of the basic pillars of food security. It is a painful irony that many regions and nations around the world have smallholder farmers among their poorest citizens. The people who produce the majority of the world’s food frequently experience the worst food insecurity.
Climate change, along with poverty, is causing more crop failures, reduced productivity, and poorer farm revenue for the world’s smallholder farmers. Children are suffering as a result of a lack of food and increased rates of malnutrition.
Humanitarian food aid is a temporary solution, yet it is critical in preventing child hunger and suffering. Longer-term, sustainable approaches, on the other hand, are critical. Climate-smart agricultural training, revenue diversification through a farm and off-farm livelihoods, and assisting smallholder farmers in organizing and participating in credit and savings organizations and
agricultural co-ops are among them.
Despite the complexity of the causes of child hunger, progress is conceivable. A great place to start is for countries, civil society, and NGOs to work together to accomplish the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly goals #1 (no poverty) and #2 (zero hunger). Individual residents of their respective nations can also push for change at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels by supporting public policies that help the poor or advocating for increased funding for global food security programs.
Supporting programs like school lunch programs, climate-smart agriculture, and women’s livelihoods, all of which increase food and income for children and families around the world, is another way you can help feed the hungry.
In the spirit of World Food Day, we stand united to combat child hunger and its far-reaching consequences. Join us on this journey towards a brighter, nourished future for every child.
Ensuring that every child has access to nutritious meals is not just a matter of physical health but also a fundamental building block for their mental and emotional well-being.
In countries with easy access to food, millions of children still suffer from malnutrition. This crisis often stems from the stark difference between empty calories and nourishing meals.
