Doctors Without Borders Highlights Childhood Malnutrition and its Prevention

Photo:  Stephanie Sinclair/VII Photo   ("India 2010")

Childhood malnutrition is a preventable, treatable disease that affects more than 195,000,000 children in the world at any given time. A child dies every six seconds from malnutrition-related causes. No other risk factor poses a greater threat to young children.

Global Impact member Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has launched a seven-week global media campaign called "Starved for Attention" to build awareness of the crisis, mobilize resources and highlight solutions. The series of seven mini-documentaries and related exhibits makes the point that increased childhood sickness and early death can be prevented with effective nutritional interventions.

 "Our medical teams working in more than 30 countries with high levels of malnutrition, in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, have demonstrated that with early intervention with quality, balanced foods, countless children can be spared the consequences of malnutrition," said Dr. Christophe Fournier, president of Doctors Without Borders'/MSF's International Council.  In 2009, MSF treated 250,000 malnourished children in 34 countries.

The "Starved for Attention" campaign highlights successful treatment and prevention programs in countries like Mexico, Thailand and Brazil and seeks to reform humanitarian food assistance and nutrition programs for malnourished children. 

Currently, international food donors provide mostly cereal-based fortified flours, which do not meet the nutritional requirements of young, growing children. For example, the US, the world's largest food aid donor, sends sub-standard foods that do not meet basic nutrition requirements for infants and young children. 

Tested strategies to address malnutrition are effective and are showing promising results in many countries. Some have reduced early childhood malnutrition through programs that ensure infants and young children from even the poorest families have access to quality foods, such as milk and eggs. At the same time there is growing political will in Asian and African countries to replicate successful programs. Visitors to starvedforattention.org can add their names to a global petition to support these efforts.

Learn more about Doctors Without Borders and other Global Impact charities assuring help for the world's most vulnerable people.