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Financial Crisis Must Not Divert Efforts to Tackle Global Child Hunger
World Food Day Marked by Save the Children's Urgent Call to Fight Severe Malnutrition
WESTPORT, Conn. (Oct. 14, 2008) — To mark World Food Day on Oct.16, Save the Children warns that hundreds of millions of the world's poorest children, already suffering from severe malnutrition, could face an even bleaker future as developing nations grapple with high food and fuel prices and financial crises — all at the same time.
The International Children's Charity today urged world leaders to seize this moment to mobilize a global response and not to turn their backs on children suffering from chronic malnourishment, either at home or in the developing world.
"As a result of three major crises coming within less than a year, most families in the world are going to find it more difficult to feed their children, give them access to health care and keep them in school," said Charles MacCormack, President and CEO of Save the Children, based in Westport, CT. "And it is going to be especially difficult for nearly 1 billion people who already are suffering from chronic malnutrition and living in very poor conditions," he said.
MacCormack cited a new World Bank study showing that high food and fuel prices are expected to increase the number of malnourished people around the world this year by 44 million to reach a total of 967 million, while also "causing irreparable damage to the health of millions of children."
"We applaud political leaders around the world who are speaking out forcefully and acting to help families who face the hardest impacts of these current crises. Now is the compelling moment for us all — government and civil society alike — to rally together behind proven strategies to enable vulnerable families to overcome these challenges." MacCormack said.
The food, fuel and financial crises are impacting every country, and Save the Children is responding vigorously in almost twenty nations. MacCormack said that the continent hit hardest has been Africa.
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Children are screened for entrance to the Save the Children feeding program at the Awassa Tulla Center in Ethiopia. |
"The figures are staggering," he said. "In the Horn of Africa, at least 3 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition. In Ethiopia alone, 75,000 children are now in immediate need of therapeutic feeding, and the numbers are growing."
Added Dennis Walto, Africa Director for Save the Children: "Rising food prices, loss in the value of livestock and higher transportation costs translate directly into increased hunger, poverty and malnutrition for families across Africa, with children bearing the greatest burden of these consequences."
"It will take more than food to fight this hunger crisis," he added. "Our experience demonstrates that healthy, educated households are far better able to deal with rising food costs," Walto said.
Save the Children's Current Response
In Ethiopia, Save the Children's 800-strong team is currently working to help nearly 900,000 people in six of the worst-affected regions. According to Margaret Schuler, Director for Ethiopia, "our work includes setting up work schemes to provide parents with a way to earn food and money, providing clean water, emergency feeding and healthcare for malnourished children, and delivering veterinary drugs and animal feed to help families keep their animals alive."
Save the Children also is working to help families avoid taking actions in time of crisis that could harm children, including:
- Early marriage: some families marry off their children (mostly girls) in order to reduce the number of persons to feed.
- Child labor, exploitation and trafficking: children are often used to supplement family income.
- Family separation: food crisis have a negative effect on family cohesion.
- Children withdrawn from school: the number of children attending school regularly reduces during times of crisis.
- Meals reduction: families often reduce the number of meals they eat in a day so as to stretch their resources.
- Children on the move: in most cases, rural families abandon small scale agriculture and move to urban areas. This has a direct impact on children, they are unable to attend school regularly and new environments pose further risks to children — exploitation, begging and bonded labor.
Save the Children will soon launch a new initiative in countries across Africa that will focus on mobilizing families, communities, government and civil society leaders to build economic resilience in households and communities, ensuring that children attain their right to be free from hunger.
“We need to shore up the resources of families who are just getting by, so they won’t be so vulnerable to upheavals in the global market,” said Walto. Save the Children’s new approach will look at ways to help families and communities out of poverty and hunger.”
Read more about Save the Children's response to the global Child Hunger Crisis.
