 |
| Image Source: arabiangazette.com |
In developing countries, child malnutrition is neither a choice nor a misgiving among parents. The problem is rooted on the absence of access to basic nutrition.
One in five children in the world succumbs to malnutrition everyday. In five countries in Africa and North Korea, the rates of hunger are higher than those of 20 years ago. These statistics are reported by Save the Children, an independent organization dedicated to bringing lasting change in the lives of children in need across the world. Two million children die each year from chronic malnutrition—a depressingly bloated figure that speaks to ineffectual effort in combating and prioritizing food distribution worldwide.
 |
| Image Source: worldvision.com.au |
Countries like Ethiopia and Bangladesh are singled out for their successful nutrition programs, which ensure that their next generation would be protected from this largely invisible crisis. However, many countries in Africa, particularly those north in the Sahel region, are still losing the battle against food crises. Last year’s ravaging famine in Somalia has so far taken between 50,000 to 100,000 lives. While famines are geographical consequences, greater political commitment from the affected countries’ governments to aid food production should align with more external aid from global charitable institutions and donors.
During famines, it is the children who are the first to go, as chronic malnutrition leaves them more vulnerable to the associated diseases of malnutrition. Malaria and pneumonia, causing permanent damage to their bodies and brains, have lifetime repercussions for victimized children.
The time to act against malnutrition is now.
 |
| Image Source: actionagainsthunger.org |
Alex von Furstenberg has been involved in various charitable pursuits in education, environmental advocacy, and childcare. Visit the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation website to learn how to help their cause.
