Nutrition during childhood shapes children in ways that last a lifetime. The serious effects of malnutrition – from sickness and impaired thinking to stunted growth – impact not only them, but their families and their communities. Sending food today can truly change the course of a young child’s future.
children suffer from severe malnutrition every year
of deaths among children under 5 are caused by hunger
of WFP’s beneficiaries are children
A Generation Under Threat
Health
When children don’t have adequate food, it directly affects their ability to fight off infection, and common illnesses can become life-threatening. The economic burden to families and countries can be great.
Source: Send a meal today Photo: WFP/Abeer Etefa
Cognition
Cognitive development in children is heavily impacted by nutrition. Without proper food in the first few years of life, most children will have an impaired ability to learn for the rest of their lives.
Source: A school meal costs just $0.25 Photo: WFP/Ziad Rizkallah
Growth
Malnourished children are often underweight (called wasting) and underheight (called stunting). Both are often accompanied by recurring illnesses that can be a heavy burden for families and public healthcare systems.
Source: Support malnutrition treatment Photo: WFP/Abeer Etefa
Productivity
It is estimated that malnutrition costs the global economy up to $3.5 trillion dollars each year in lost productivity, increased healthcare costs and emergency services.
Source: Invest in prevention now Photo: WFP/Annabel Symington
Support the Response
The U.N. World Food Programme feeds millions of pregnant women, new moms and their babies every year, giving children a hand up at the start of their lives. After infancy, we help kids reach their full potential throughout early adolescence via school meals and support to their farming parents.
First 1,000 Days
The most crucial nutritional window for a child happens between pregnancy and their second birthday. That’s when WFP steps in with foods designed specifically to treat and prevent malnutrition.
School Meals
WFP’s School Meals program is the largest in the world. It’s an essential safety net that provides more than 17 million school children with lifesaving nutrition, health and education.
Supporting Farmers
Ironically, over 50% of the world’s hungry people are small-scale farmers. WFP helps improve their food production so they can provide more nutritious diets for their children.
Food Storage
WFP provides farming families with air-tight containers to store their dried crops, keeping them free from pests and mold so they can feed their children between harvests.
this is what your dollars do
Children are the innocent victims of adult wars. They can’t help being born into poverty, and their lives are at our mercy.
We believe every child should have the food they need to take their first steps, learn their first words and read their first book.
We believe every child is born with the inalienable right to reach their full potential.
Spread the message. Follow @WFPUSA on your favorite social media channels and tell your network that the world's hungriest children deserve #ahandup.