UNICEF report details the cost of malnutrition in children

by Associated Press

More than a quarter of children under the age of 5 worldwide are permanently “stunted” from malnutrition, leaving them physically and intellectually weak, the United Nations Children’s Fund said in a report released Monday. Anthony Lake, executive director of the agency, better known as Unicef, said the organized provision of vitamins and clean water and a focus from birth on breast-feeding could have helped the 165 million children affected achieve normal brain and body development. But their lack of proper nutrition means instead they will suffer increased vulnerability to illness and early death. The United Nations report found that 24 countries with the highest levels of stunted children were concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

  • World Hunger Education
    Service
    P.O. Box 29015
    Washington, D.C. 20017

  • About WHES & Hunger Notes
    For the past 40 years, since its founding in 1976, the mission of World Hunger Education Service is to undertake programs, including Hunger Notes, that
    • Educate the general public and target groups about the extent and causes of hunger and malnutrition in the United States and the world
    • Advance comprehension which integrates ethical, religious, social, economic, political, and scientific perspectives on the world food problem
    • Facilitate communication and networking among those who are working for solutions
    • Promote individual and collective commitments to sustainable hunger solutions.