Stopping the cycle of global malnutrition.

To address malnutrition effectively, we must recognize that adequate global nutrition cannot be achieved merely by food aid. Instead, communities need to create sustainable sources of year-round nourishment and put women at the center of the solution.

When empowered women have access to information and resources to end their own hunger, we can end the cycle of malnutrition and its outsized effect on children.

“The dual scourge of hunger and malnutrition will be truly vanquished not only when granaries are full, but also when people’s basic health needs are met and women are given their rightful role in societies.” –– Gro Harlem Brundtland

What is malnutrition and why is it different from hunger?

Malnutrition is more than food deprivation or hunger. The definition of malnutrition includes wasting, stunting, insufficient body weight and deficiencies in vitamins and minerals. 

How does food insecurity lead to malnutrition?

Malnutrition is caused  by not only the quantity of food available but also the variety and quality needed to support proper development and health. 

How does lack of education contribute to malnutrition?

In developing countries, malnutrition in children is often caused by insufficient breastfeeding, leading to nutrient deficiencies in the first 1,000 days of life. Insufficient breastfeeding stems from a mother’s lack of access to resources and knowledge about nutrition.

What are the effects of malnutrition in children?

Malnutrition is a key factor that contributes to nearly half of all children’s deaths globally. To prevent infant mortality, efforts to end hunger must begin early in a child’s life. Children born into the cycle of malnutrition have a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease, cognitive disabilities and a lower IQ, which affect their performance in school and job opportunities as adults (UNICEF).

The cycle of malnutrition starts and stops with women. 

In developing countries, girls traditionally eat last and least, making them ill-equipped to combat poor nutrition in their communities. 

Young women predisposed to early childhood marriage give birth earlier in life. A young, malnourished woman gives birth to a low-birth-weight baby who grows up with ongoing nutritional deficiencies due to the mother’s lack of resources. 

When a young mother born into malnourishment has access to proper nutrition for herself, she can extend this nutrition to her children, effectively ending the cycle of malnutrition.

A framework to address nutrition issues around the world.

We worked to articulate a set of concrete steps to prioritize nutrition development called the Framework for Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN). SUN addresses the development and implementation of political, operational and financial tactics necessary to stop the cycle of malnutrition among women and children. 

This powerful NGO partnership promotes targeted action and investment to improve nutrition for mothers and children in the 1,000 days between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday. During this pivotal period, better nutrition can have a life-changing impact on a child’s future and help break the cycle of poverty.

WHAT WE DO

• Educate on maternal and childhood health. We host tens of thousands of women at training workshops in which healthcare professionals explain the basics of nutrition for both children and mothers and the importance of pre- and postnatal care.
• Monitor maternal and childhood health. Children enrolled in the epicenter nursery schools are guaranteed access to a full nutritious meal every day they are in attendance. Professionals at the adjacent epicenter health clinics oversee ongoing child health and weight monitoring.
• Provide training in sustainable farming practices. Our partners learn techniques to sustainably improve crop yields. This not only increases access to food for the entire community but also provides knowledge for creating diverse nutritional diets.  
• Create nutrition through community food processing. In Senegal, we run epicenter food processing units that produce small packets of nutritious food for children. The packets are distributed to children in the community and sold to NGOs like the World Food Programme.
• Make motherhood safer through education. Via the 1,000-Day Initiative in Malawi, we conduct awareness campaigns on safe motherhood, carry out vaccination campaigns targeting children under five years old and train mother-to-mother (M2M) support groups on safe motherhood and nutrition.

Global malnutrition statistics

How many people suffer from malnutrition?

Around one tenth of the global population – or 811 million people – do not meet international nutrition standards. (UNICEF USA)

How many of them are children?

In 2022, 149 million children suffered from stunting, while another 45 million were too thin for their height. (World Health Organization)

How many people die of malnutrition every year?

9 million people die every year from hunger and a lack of nutrition (UN World Food Programme). 45% of deaths of children under the age of five are caused by malnutrition (World Food Program).

Where is malnutrition most common?

The 2024 Global Hunger Index reports that the highest numbers of undernourished people reside in Southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. 

What is the prevalence of anemia in women due to malnutrition?

29.9% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 are impacted by anemia, especially pregnant women. (Global Nutrition Report)

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