From Hunger to Hope: The Families Transforming Their Lives Through the Enough Campaign
By Njavwa Simukoko, Communications, Zambia.
In the heart of Zambia, where fertile lands promise abundance, many communities still grapple with the grim realities of malnutrition, stunting, and poverty. It is against this backdrop that World Vision Zambia has launched the Enough Campaign, a transformative initiative aimed at addressing these persistent challenges. Here is everything you need to know about this impactful campaign, its alignment with World Vision Zambia’s mission, and why it is so timely.
Understanding the Enough Campaign
The Enough Campaign is a holistic movement designed to improve the health and well-being of children and their families in Zambia. It is rooted in promoting smart agricultural practices, nutritious feeding, and stronger community systems to combat the cycles of poverty and malnutrition. This campaign takes a multi-stakeholder approach, engaging farmers, pupils, mothers, health personnel, civic leaders, faith leaders, and traditional authorities to drive sustainable change.
The Campaign’s Key Pillars
Educating Communities: One of the core objectives is to educate children and parents about the importance of nutritious feeding and healthy eating habits. This includes practical lessons on balanced diets and food preparation techniques that retain nutrients.
Empowering Farmers: Through training and resources, the campaign promotes smart agricultural practices like crop diversification and climate-resilient farming methods. This ensures food security, even in the face of challenges like El Niño.
Engaging Traditional Leaders: By enlisting the support of cultural and traditional leaders, the campaign builds trust and ensures community-wide participation in its initiatives.
Collaborating with Health Personnel: Health workers play a pivotal role in disseminating knowledge and ensuring that communities access vital health services.
National Context: A Snapshot of Challenges
Malnutrition and Stunting: According to the Zambia Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) 2018, 35% of children under five suffer from stunting, a condition that irreversibly impairs physical and cognitive development. The Enough Campaign’s emphasis on nutrition directly targets this critical issue.
Effects of Poverty: Despite Zambia’s economic potential, over 54% of the population lives below the poverty line, with rural areas disproportionately affected. Limited access to resources and education exacerbates food insecurity and health disparities.
El Niño’s Impact: Recent El Niño weather patterns have caused erratic rainfall and prolonged droughts, threatening crop yields and leaving many families vulnerable to hunger. The campaign’s promotion of climate-smart agriculture is a timely response to these challenges.
A Southern Regional Perspective
The Enough Campaign’s significance extends across Southern Africa, where the effects of climate change and food insecurity are especially pronounced. Shamiso Matambanadzo, World Vision's Southern Regional Advocacy and External Engagement Lead, highlighted the urgency of the campaign in the face of the El Niño-induced drought.
“FEWSNET described worsening food insecurity in the region amid depleted food stocks and rising food prices in August 2024. A crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcome was reported for most of the Southern African countries, including conflict-affected areas of Mozambique and DRC, because of the El-Niño-induced drought by November 2024. With the number of people experiencing dangerous levels of hunger in the world sitting at 258 million in 2022 and rising, the World Vision ENOUGH Campaign could not have come at a better time for the region”.
She stated that hunger and malnutrition affect vulnerable groups, with children being the most at risk of experiencing the direct and indirect impacts of hunger, especially those living in conflict areas, experiencing climate shocks such as droughts or flooding, or who have been forcibly displaced.
Since the launch of the World Vision Global Hunger Response, 1.3 million children have benefitted from World Vision-supported school meal programmes. School meals are a vital lifeline for millions of children, yet only 2 out of 5 children globally have access to this crucial source of nutrition. The Enough Campaign will therefore prioritize expanding coverage of school meal programmes in humanitarian and development contexts to reach more vulnerable children and adolescents, especially girls, including those in Southern Africa.
Insights from the National Campaign Coordinator
James Zimba, World Vision Zambia’s National Campaign Coordinator, emphasized that the campaign is not only a response to the pressing issue of child hunger but also a call to action for leaders and stakeholders to champion solutions.
“The campaign is a response to the current concerns around child hunger and also a call to action for leaders and necessary stakeholders to champion solutions that end child hunger and malnutrition. This can be through policy formulation, implementation of key strategic policies aimed at the welfare of children, especially in the fight against child hunger, and finally, policy revisions to proactively address emerging issues surrounding child hunger and malnutrition,” he shared.
Policies like Zambia’s National Food and Nutrition Strategic Plan (NFNSP) and the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement provide a foundation for such initiatives. However, the Enough Campaign advocates for these policies to be adapted and expanded to meet the evolving needs of vulnerable communities.
Alignment with World Vision Zambia’s Mission
The Enough Campaign seamlessly aligns with World Vision Zambia’s overarching goal of improving child well-being through sustainable development. By addressing root causes like food insecurity, malnutrition, and inadequate health systems, the campaign advances the organization’s focus on holistic and long-term solutions.
Additionally, the campaign integrates into existing programs like SchoolWASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in schools) and maternal health initiatives, creating a synergistic effect across sectors. This comprehensive approach ensures that the campaign’s impact is both broad and deep.
Why Now? The Timeliness of the Campaign
Zambia’s current socio-economic and environmental realities underscore the urgency of the Enough Campaign. Rising food prices, climate change, and lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated vulnerabilities in many communities. The campaign’s focus on sustainable practices and community empowerment offers a beacon of hope in these uncertain times.
Moreover, as Zambia’s population grows, the demand for food and health services intensifies. The campaign’s proactive measures not only address immediate needs but also lay the groundwork for future resilience.
The Pros of the Enough Campaign
Community-Led Solutions: By involving local leaders and stakeholders, the campaign ensures buy-in and sustainability.
Capacity Building: Farmers, health workers, and families gain knowledge and skills that can be passed on to future generations.
Enhanced Child Well-Being: By tackling malnutrition and stunting, the campaign directly contributes to the physical and mental development of Zambia’s next generation.
Climate Resilience: Promoting smart agriculture helps mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on food production.
The Enough Campaign is more than an initiative; it is a call to action for all stakeholders to unite for a healthier and more prosperous Zambia. Whether you are a farmer seeking to adopt innovative practices, a community leader championing change, or a supporter contributing resources, your involvement matters.
Together, we can say ENOUGH to hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Together, we can create a future where every Zambian child thrives.