2024 in Review: 35 Children Born into Hunger Every Minute in 2024 | Global News Avenue

According to analysis by Save the Children, at least 18.2 million children will be born hungry by 2024, or about 35 children every minute, and the combination of conflict and the climate crisis will push at least 800,000 children into hunger this year.

analyze Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) data It shows that the number of children born hungry in 2024 is about 5% higher than a year ago and 19% higher than the 15.3 million recorded in 2019, when progress in tackling childhood hunger began to stall. (1)

Conflict, displacement, extreme weather events and increases in the relative cost of food have all contributed to declining child nutrition worldwide.

Hungry children born this year include those born in countries facing catastrophic conditions of famine or severe food insecurity, including South Sudan, Haiti, Mali and Sudan, where levels of famine and malnutrition have spread Half of the nation’s 18 states. (2)

In addition, there were warnings in early November that famine was likely to occur or have already occurred in the northern Gaza Strip, and that 345,000 people across Gaza could face catastrophic starvation in the coming months. (3) The Occupied Palestinian Territory is not included in FAO’s annual malnutrition data, (4) but the warning comes from the world’s leading authority on hunger – Comprehensive stage classification of food security.

Hannah Stephenson, global head of hunger and nutrition at Save the Children, said:

“More than 18 million babies are born this year – 35 children every minute – into a world where hunger starts from the moment of birth. Hunger knows no borders. It erodes childhood, drains children of their energy, and It’s possible to take away their future. Children should be free to play or expand their minds in class. No child should have to worry about when their next meal is.

“We need to immediately fund and safely deliver humanitarian life-saving services to children and families in urgent need of food, nutrition, health care, safe water, sanitation and hygiene, social protection and livelihood support. We now have the tools to deliver the same results as we have in the past tool to reduce the number of malnourished children.

“However, if we do not address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition, we will continue to see the progress we have made for children reverse.”

Children are always the most vulnerable group in food crises, and without adequate food and a proper nutritional balance, children are at high risk of severe malnutrition. Malnutrition can cause stunting, hinder mental and physical growth, increase the risk of life-threatening diseases, and ultimately lead to death.

Of the countries where at least 20% of the population faces hunger, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is expected to have the highest number of malnourished babies born this year, around 1.6 million, while conflict remains a major driver of hunger in the DRC and globally.

At the same time, climate shocks such as floods and droughts increasingly threaten children’s access to food. More than 1.4 million babies are born hungry in Pakistan, making the country one of the hungriest in the world Climate vulnerable countries.(5) Pakistan has the second highest number of hungry babies among countries with malnutrition rates exceeding 20%.

Uzma*, 28, lives in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and is struggling to feed her five children, including malnourished 17-month-old Inaaya* and twin daughters born in November. Her husband ran a small shop but the income was not enough to support the family. Save the Children provides nutritional support to the families of Uzma* and information on how to improve their hygiene habits.

“With my husband’s limited income and the need to focus on Inaaya*’s recovery from malnutrition, it is difficult to ensure that all of our children have enough food. Sometimes, our older boys don’t get the food they need or the most nutritious Meals. I worry they may not be eating enough to grow strong and healthy.

“Our newborn twin girls also have special needs, and meeting those needs adds to the stress. Our family’s overall food situation is very challenging, and making sure there’s enough food for all five kids feels like a constant struggle. As a mother, it pains me to see my children without (food).”

Despite Madagascar’s relatively small population, by 2024 the country had one of the highest numbers of babies born hungry.

Aina*, 6 months old, is one of some 400,000 babies born from hunger in the island nation. Her mother, Genie*, faces difficulties caring for and feeding her daughter due to the high cost of food and lack of money. She only breastfed Aina* twice a day, and she was exclusively breastfed, once before and after returning from work in the fields.

“My habits had an impact on her diet and Aina*’s weight. She became thinner and thinner and often felt hot and irritable,” says Gini*.

Save the Children taught Genie* how to feed her daughter healthily using less expensive local foods and the importance of regular breastfeeding.

Save the Children is calling on world leaders to address the root causes of severe food and nutrition insecurity, including increasing efforts to reduce conflict, combat the climate crisis and global inequality, and build more resilient health, nutrition and social protection systems.

Children’s rights groups also call for greater cross-sector collaboration, dialogue and investment to strengthen response planning and implementation, as well as our ability to act early and prevent foreseeable shocks from turning into crises.

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Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.