Cambodia says ‘ENOUGH’ to child malnutrition
For the past month, the Council for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) and World Vision led a vibrant campaign to raise awareness of child malnutrition issues and promote healthy food choices across Cambodia.
Following the 11th National Nutrition Day held last November, the Council for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) and the child well-being agency World Vision launched the ENOUGH campaign at the sub-national level, organising awareness events in five provinces across the Kingdom.
A call for joint efforts in Cambodia.
Despite outstanding progress recorded in the past two decades, child malnutrition remains an area of concern for the Kingdom, with 21.9% of children under five years old displaying low heights for their age (stunting). The campaign, a global initiative led by World Vision, sets out to improve child malnutrition and food security in Cambodia in the coming three years.
“I would like to call on sub-national administrations, development partners, civil society organisations, the private sector, and all citizens to continue to pay attention and carry out their duties together to eliminate malnutrition in all forms, and contribute to the development of human capital and society, increase work efficiency, and promote national economic growth, moving towards achieving the Cambodian Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and the Cambodian Vision 2050.” said His Excellency Dr. Ouk Makara, Vice Chairman of CARD, during the event in Kampong Chhnang province on February 12.
An orange wave of positive change throughout the country.
From Banteay Meanchey to Kratie province, the campaign reached over 15,000 individuals participating in vibrant activities promoting healthy food choices and behaviour changes. Celebrities such as Khun Saom Orn, winner of MasterChef Season 3, and the boyband D-Man, committed to supporting the campaign and amplifying its important messages. Khun Saom Orn notably performed a cooking show in Banteay Meanchey, promoting local food consumption, while D-Man led activities to engage with the audiences in Siem Reap and across Cambodia through digital channels.
Since the campaign launch in November, World Vision leveraged online channels to reach about 250,000 social media users and plans to expand its reach in the coming months with social behaviour change messages to promote healthy food choices.
“The ENOUGH Campaign’s vision is to improve nutritious food production that directly benefits children in Cambodia. This vision won’t be realised without strong collaboration and cooperation with the Royal Government’s line ministries, development partners, the private sector and the public,” says Chhim Ratana, Campaign Lead for World Vision International in Cambodia.
With the support of the Commercialisation of Aquaculture for Sustainable Trade (CAST) project, the ENOUGH campaign closed its sub-national launch with the event in Siem Reap. As part of the campaign’s next key actions, research will be conducted to understand the key drivers that influence food consumption and diets in Cambodia. 
Operating in the Kingdom for more than five decades, World Vision continues its journey bringing positive change to the most vulnerable people of Cambodia. In the past year, the Christian charity impacted the lives of 3 million girls and boys nationwide, including through its health, nutrition and food security programmes.
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About World Vision
World Vision is a Christian grassroots organisation operating in Cambodia for more than 50 years, and improving the well-being of the most vulnerable children and their communities. The INGO works in 20 provinces and Phnom Penh Capital, with programmes spanning social accountability, child protection, education, nutrition, livelihoods or climate adaptation.