Poverty and malnutrition is an issue that affects millions of children around the world. When children are born into poverty, without access to adequate food they don't get the necessary nutrients they need to develop properly, resulting in malnutrition. To make it worse, they then don’t have proper access to the treatments and healthcare services they require. No child in this world should suffer from malnutrition or die of hunger. Below is how programs are helping children suffering from poverty and malnutrition and what the main causes of poverty and malnutrition are.
Save The Children has been helping children in need for over 100 years and is one of Australia's largest aid and development organisations. We believe every child deserves a bright future - we do everything we can to provide essential healthcare and medical assistance to children and their families to end preventable child deaths and give them a healthy start in life. Several different factors are causing the current poverty and malnutrition crises around the world- here are the main causes along with what we’re doing to help
What Is Causing The Poverty And Malnutrition Crises Around The World?
The root causes of
poverty and malnutrition are different for each country and can also be quite complex - so it’s not necessarily an easy fix to manage or prevent it. The areas in the world hit the hardest by poverty and malnutrition include parts of Northern Africa and Yemen where there are two main causes:
Conflict
Conflict in countries often forces large numbers of people to flee their homes and livelihoods, collapses economies (which results in soaring food prices) and can destroy crops and livestock. Food scarcity also becomes a problem as it can be extremely difficult to get food and aid to people in conflict zones. Refugee camps can then become overcrowded which also contributes to food shortages.
Drought And Other Impacts Of Climate Change
Drought can result in widespread crop failure, livestock deaths and forces people from their homes. Often in drought-stricken areas, especially with the lack of safe drinking water, the risk of disease is significantly increased making those impacted more susceptible to illness and malnutrition. Climate change can also alter seasonal weather which can make it more difficult to grow food and also increases the frequency and risk of disasters.
What Our Programs Are Doing to Stop Malnutrition
As a longstanding
charity working to stop malnutrition we have had teams in Northern Africa and Yemen since early 2017 helping to treat and prevent poverty and malnutrition. Some of the work we have done and continue to do includes:
- Providing life-saving food and nutrition to children suffering from life-threatening hunger
- Providing clean, safe drinking water and working with families to improve hygiene practices that help reduce the spread of disease
- Providing life-saving healthcare and treatment to help severely malnourished children get back to a safe weight
- Implementing Emergency Health Units where we can screen children for malnutrition
- Providing health and nutrition services to people living in remote communities
- Supporting treatment centres by training staff, and providing life-saving supplies and equipment
So that we can make a long-lasting impact to help prevent child hunger, poverty and malnutrition we also help communities prepare so they are more resilient to the impacts of climate change. We are also campaigning to raise awareness and support, and work with Governments to help address these issues.
Donate To Our Malnutrition Charity Programs Today
You too can help make a difference to the lives of children suffering from poverty and malnutrition. By donating to our malnutrition charity programs you are helping us to continue providing aid to starving children and their families. Make a once-off donation today or become a monthly giver.
Each donation over $2 is tax deductible and when you donate, over 80% of your donation goes directly towards program expenditure.