Hunger Crisis -
the Most Severe Crisis for Children

In a message to the 4th Nutrition for Growth Summit in March, the UN Secretary‑General António Guterres pointed out that there is only less than five years to go before 2030, the target year set to eradicate world hunger. Sadly, we are a long way off track. According to the figures, today, 1 in 11 people suffers from hunger, and in Africa, it is one in five. He stressed that among children,

malnutrition is a tragedy - and a moral failure.

Nevertheless, only a third of low and middle-income countries have adequate funding for nutrition programmes. It is therefore projected that more vulnerable children will suffer from food insecurity and malnutrition.

Food insecurity reduces the resilience of vulnerable households towards climate shocks and their ability to adapt to changing climate conditions, while climate impacts can exacerbate existing conflicts and make peace building more difficult. As a result, hunger, climate change and conflicts are creating a seemingly endless cycle that traps the world’s most vulnerable people, with children being the most affected.

Nearly half of all deaths among children under five worldwide are related to malnutrition. Even if they survive, malnutrition can undermine children's learning ability and future income levels, locking them in a vicious cycle of poverty and health problems. World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director, Cindy McCain warned that climate change has left the world’s most vulnerable children facing a dire situation. In the 15 countries most affected by malnutrition, 33 million children suffer from wasting. “We must prevent child malnutrition before it ever takes hold,” she said. “If we fail to act, we are condemning millions of children to a lifetime of suffering.” This might eventually perpetuate generational poverty.

According to the latest Price Shocks 2025 report by World Vision, 77 countries are surveyed about the wages households require to buy 10 basic food items (1 kg sweet bananas, 1 kg rice, 1 kg wheat flour, 1 kg raw sugar, 1 kg maize corn, a dozen eggs, 1 litre cooking oil, 1 raw chicken, 1 kg tomatoes and 1 litre fresh milk). The results show that people in 16 countries need to use more than a week's wages to buy the items. Most of them are from Africa, including Burundi, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Chad and Somalia. People from 11 of these countries are facing severe food insecurity and are on the verge of famine. These countries often face high food prices and are more vulnerable to global economic pressures and inequalities in food systems.

The report also points out that countries whose economies rely mainly on agriculture are more vulnerable to disruptions in food production and distribution due to extreme weather, conflicts and weak infrastructure. We calculated the wages needed to buy 10 basic food items in 2023 and 2024, it is now about an extra week of wages earned in Niger and about six days more in Sudan. To make matters worse, these countries are hit hard by food price shocks, many families have to rely on humanitarian aid to prevent their children from going hungry. Therefore, if there is insufficient aid for nutrition and food projects, the most vulnerable children will be the first to suffer.

Hope for malnourished children

In Feburary, 36-year-old Fatima, and her 9-month-old son, Hamed, were released from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) clinic stabilisation center. They had spent 6 days there. “His health was destroyed,” says Fatima. Hamed was 3 pounds (1.4kg) under a healthy weight.

“Day after day, there was no water. At that time, Hamed had diarrhea and he would vomit many times.” Fatima’s other children would go far into the valley for unclean water. The trip takes 45 minutes, each way, but drinking the water has not led to good health.

Once Hamed’s health stabilised, he was released from the center and entered into IRC’s outpatient nutrition programme, coming once every 2 weeks to received a 2-week supply of Plumpy'Sup - a peanut based paste that’s filled with nutrients to support a malnourished child’s recovery. Today, Hamed’s health continues to improve and Fatima received a World Vision hygiene kit. The bucket is filled with essential items that help mothers take care of their children and not fall back into the same patterns.

“When he was sick, it was like his eyes weren’t inside, but when he was better, they became alive and they shone. I could see his ribs when he was sick. Now he’s become handsome. His cheeks have become full. I feel so happy,” says Fatima. “When he was sick, I feared he was going to die. Now, I smile all the time and my heart is lighter.”

World Vision recently installed solar panels and began supplying clean water to the clinic in Farchana, Chad, where we refer sick Sudanese refugee children for care.

However, the lives of thousands are now at risk due to recent international funding cuts. The clinic currently serves more than 61,000 people. The next nearest clinic is more than a two-hour drive.

“If we don’t get funding, the situation will become worse. It’s going to be a huge problem. If we don’t have funding, IRC will refer patients to Adré or to Abeche - perhaps they can go, and perhaps they will die,” says worried Dr. Albachir from the clinic.