Ending Child Hunger Crisis
Shraddha Adhikari
ENG-170
Prof. Sarah Vinciguerra
09/28/2022
Ending Child Hunger Crisis
In about 15 seconds, a child dies due to malnutrition. There are about 21 million food-insecure children around the world (“Global hunger crisis pushing one child into severe malnutrition every minute in 15 crisis-hit countries”). Is it the economic crisis, rise in the price level, or the Covid-19 crisis which is causing children to starve? This terrifying issue is increasing the statistical data rapidly over the last five years. As the number increases, there is a risk of a drop in the immune system, which results in catching various infectious diseases like measles, malaria and many more. When one is affected by a disease and a proper diet is not provided, one might die. Also, when there is no balanced diet provided when one is a child then health issues might show up in their adulthood. The effects of malnutrition stay for a long time if not treated in time.
One of the organizations that fight for this is UNICEF. UNICEF stands for United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. UNICEF is one of the oldest organizations, whose main goal is children’s health and nutrition. “Its main mission is to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential”(UNICEF Main mission). One of the basic needs of human beings is food and it is also the most important thing to lead a healthy life. If one suffers malnutrition in childhood then their physical body stays weak for a very long time. Malnutrition should be treated in time and if possible it should be prevented.
UNICEF has been fighting to end child hunger and malnutrition in different countries around the world. It is one of the best and most trustworthy organizations. They have large manpower and supplies to reach a large mass of people. UNICEF has been working in different countries like Sudan, Afghanistan, Madagascar, Yemen and others. In 2017, when Yemen was going through a cholera outbreak and acute water diarrhea, the number of malnourished children was increasing.UNICEF was able to help about 50% of children by providing them with basic needs and clean drinking water (“Fighting famine in a race against time”).“In South Sudan, a country reeling from conflict, poverty and insecurity, an estimated 250,000 children will be affected by severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in 2018” (“Fighting famine in a race against time”).UNICEF worked with the local people to provide resources like food, clean water, and health services to children who were suffering. The data shows that UNICEF was able to help 179,786 children from 6 to 59 months with severe acute malnutrition (“Fighting famine in a race against time”). Projects led by UNICEF have saved many lives and helped many people around the world.
This problem is not just in a nation or some other nation. It is a world problem where everyone needs to come together and work to end child hunger. The government and higher officials are focused on the development of the country and establishing policies for economic and political benefits. These decisions are developing the country but the children are not getting any benefit from it. Organizations like UNICEF are working with children around the world providing them with their basic needs. As an individual, it is not possible to reach out and help others who live miles away. The lack of budget and less manpower is going to demotivate us. Organizations like UNICEF could reach out to children in need on behalf of us. We should look for ways to end childhood hunger by providing them with nutritious food and clean drinking water. If we don’t do that then this might be a serious problem where we lose more innocent lives.
Works Cited
“Fighting famine in a race against time”, Leah Selim, 27 March 2017
https://www.unicef.org/stories/fighting-famine-race-against-time
“Global hunger crisis pushing one child into severe malnutrition every minute in 15 crisis-hit countries”, UNICEF, 22 June 2022
“UNICEF Mission Statement”, UNICEF, Accessed: 14 September 2022
https://www.unicef.org/about-us/mission-statemen