Hunger Eats Childhood

When a child can’t eat, hunger can start eating away their future. But together we can help children defeat hunger and feed their futures. 

5 Facts About Hunger

• 1 in 5 deaths among children under the age of 5 is attributed to severe acute malnutrition making it one of the top threats to child survival. 
• More than half a million (683 221) households with children aged five years or younger reported experiencing hunger in 2021.* 
• Hunger negatively impacts a child’s physical and cognitive development. 
• Conflict, climate change and economic cost are fuelling hunger. 
• Hunger is one of the biggest threats to childhood, as in food crisis, children are always the most vulnerable. 

* https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=16235  

 

Our Response 

Save the Children works in 116 countries. This means with the help of local partners; we can deliver lifesaving nutrition programming and long-term livelihood support on a truly global scale. We have the knowledge, network and staff to stop hunger in its tracks, but you have the power to make it happen. 

• Save the Children South Africa equips children and families with what they need to fight hunger. 
• We train health workers to spot, diagnose, prevent and treat malnutrition in their communities. 
• In the aftermath of a disaster, where possible we give parents the cash, they need to buy nutritious food for their children. 
• We support ECD Centres to grow food sustainably and for the long-term, even in the face of our climate crisis. 

Together, We Can Break the Cycle of Poverty and Feed Children’s Futures 

 

Many families live trapped in a cycle of extreme poverty. Undernourished mothers are more likely to have undernourished children, the effects of which are devastating. But when families and children eat well, they are better equipped to pull themselves out of the cycle of poverty. 

Hunger is not a lost cause. Globally, the number of people in famine-like conditions has almost halved. Together, we can act now to break the poverty cycle and feed children’s futures. Your donation today can help children fight for their childhoods. 

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