ENOUGH Nutrition

Children have a right to ENOUGH healthy and nutritious food. It is critical for a child’s physical growth and brain development. As they grow, nutritious food also protects them from common illnesses and provides them with the fuel to learn. Every child deserves the food they need to develop a healthy body and mind so they can achieve their full potential. Every family deserves to be able to put ENOUGH healthy and nutritious food on the table.

Every year, undernutrition leads to 1.3 million cases of preventable child and maternal deaths globally, while 2 out of 3 children under age 2 aren’t eating a minimum diverse diet. More than half of children under age 5 suffer from micronutrient deficiencies around the world.

A life of plenty for every child is possible, yet every day more children go hungry. ENOUGH healthy food and nutrition are still not reaching the children who need it. This is just not good ENOUGH.

Children are speaking out against this injustice and proposing solutions – together we will answer their call.

SAY ENOUGH

ENOUGH healthy and nutritious food for every child

Children and young people are calling for Governments to listen to their concerns, experiences, and solutions to malnutrition. They want Governments to ensure every child has ENOUGH healthy and nutritious food by strengthening food, health, water, and education systems.

World Vision stands alongside these incredible young leaders. Stand with us.

Act now and call for every child to receive ENOUGH access to nutritious food.

Take Action:

Amplify - the voices of children around the world through social media and encourage young people around you to take action. Comment #ENOUGH on nutrition related social media posts.

Be a Nourisher: Make a personal commitment for a healthier generation. Share your nourishing story. Tag 5 friends and encourage them to help end child malnutrition. For example: “I commit to making my family healthier and more well-nourished by reading labels on food I purchase for my children. Every child should have ENOUGH healthy and nutritious food so they can flourish.”

Ask your government commitment-makers: “What will you do for children in your Nutrition for Growth commitments?” Tag them in social media or send this message to their office.

Children will lead us. Let’s listen to their voices:

"I want to see a world where every child enjoys ENOUGH nourishing food, so they can thrive." - Williams, 17, Sierra Leone

"I wish basic commodity prices would go down soon, so more people can afford healthy food." - Pyae, 17, Myanmar

"We must combat the effects of climate change on nutrition. Children are dying." - Salome, 17, Colombia

"Children in my community suffer because of many food taboos. The best food is only given to fathers and the elderly." - Emmanuella, 18, Ghana

6.2 million children's lives could be saved over the next decade with the right investments in nutrition.

Not ENOUGH is being done on child nutrition

After rising sharply in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, global hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition have remained persistently high and almost unchanged for three years. Record-high food prices in 2022 also worsened purchasing power and access to food, negatively impacting food security and nutritional outcomes.

The lack of progress on hunger and malnutrition targets is putting children at risk. All countries need to intensify their efforts to eliminate hunger and malnutrition towards zero hunger. Greater political commitment and action is needed to invest in strengthening systems and laws to protect children from going hungry and from being targeted by advertisements for unhealthy foods.

Every US$1 invested in addressing undernutrition yields a return of US$23 owing to improved health and productivity.

Not ENOUGH is being done on child nutrition

Despite its importance, global nutrition investment is only less than 1% of all aid. Most countries have no one government ministry responsible for nutrition, so nutrition investment is falling through the cracks.

But with the right investments in nutrition, 6.2 million children’s lives could be saved over the next decade. Politicians need to act now to make healthy foods more affordable and nutrition services more accessible.

More than 733 million people in the world are facing hunger.

Every year, undernutrition leads to 1.3 million cases of preventable child and maternal deaths globally.

Only 2 out of every 5 children have access to nutritious school meals globally.

Together, we can make a difference

Change is not only necessary, but it’s possible. Together, we’ve already helped millions of children around the world.

In 2023, World Vision supported over 26 million children in 52 countries with health and nutrition services, including: 229,513 young children treated for acute malnutrition; over 1.5 million children served in growth monitoring and promotion programmes; and 3.1 million women and children received micronutrient supplements.

Positive Deviance Hearth programmes

Since 2015, World Vision has served 370,678 undernourished children with locally available nutritious food in Positive Deviance Hearth programmes, a community- and food-based approach that aims to: reduce malnutrition among children under five years; build local capacity to treat malnourished children and sustain their rehabilitation; and prevent future malnutrition among all children in the community.

Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition programmes

Since 2010, 88% of the children we treated for severe wasting fully recovered. Over that same time, more than 3.18 million women and young children were treated through World Vision’s Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) programmes. CMAM is an internationally recognised approach to address wasting, strengthening communities to identify and treat malnourished children.

School Meals programmes

Working with governments and partners, we are currently reaching over 1.3 million children with nutritious school meals, often their only meal of the day. Through these programmes, we also address critical issues like health, nutrition, water, sanitation, and gender equality.

We’re standing alongside children in calling for Governments to listen to their concerns, experiences and solutions on nutrition.

Stand with us.

Take action on what children are calling for.

Together, we can ensure every child has ENOUGH access to healthy and nutritious food.

TAKE ACTION