A report from Save the Children, released Feb. 15, predicted that approximately 450 million children will face mental and physical stunting due to malnutrition over the next 15 years unless the world acts to address the threat. The report exposed the economic basis for the crisis, identifying volatile food prices, climate change, economic uncertainties and demographic shifts as causes for widespread malnutrition.
It further described the deadly toll of childhood malnutrition. Justin Forsyth, chief executive of the charitable organization, noted: “Every hour of every day, 300 children die because of malnutrition, often simply because they don’t have access to the basic, nutritious foods that we take for granted in rich countries.”
In countries where malnutrition is most prevalent, parents reported that children skipped school to work for food. Children who survive chronic malnutrition do so because their bodies adapt to protect vital organs. This stark response leads to cognitive and physical stunting, and the results are irreversible.
