[World Refugee Day] World Vision's report finds 80% of displaced families do not have enough food to meet their daily nutrition needs

More than 100 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced due to conflicts, natural disasters and other causes, according to the latest report of the United Nations, with a record high number. The latest survey conducted by World Vision in 18 countries reveals that more than 80% of families who are forced to leave their homes do not have enough food to meet their daily nutrition needs, children are more likely to face hunger and malnutrition, and becoming one of the most fragile communities in the world.

The survey was conducted between March and April 2023 in 18 countries – Afghanistan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Colombia, the DRC, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Jordan, Mali, Nicaragua, Niger, Peru, South Sudan, Uganda, and Venezuela, covering 847 households across all 18 countries.

Survey results show that 85% forcibly displaced families are unable to afford enough food to meet their daily nutrition needs. And 82% households have been forced to reduce their quantity and quality of meals to cope with lower incomes. 25% of families are responding to increased financial pressures by keeping their children out of school; and 19% have sent their children to work. In Afghanistan and Niger – 12% and 7% respectively - reported using child marriage as a coping mechanism for decreased income.

“The needs of children in places like Syria, Afghanistan, DRC and Niger are now greater than they have been in years, but there is not enough funding in place to respond and these children are being forgotten. Today millions of children are struggling to exist in refugee camps. Too many are being forced to marry in order to survive. Far more are being forced to work in order to survive. They are hungry. They don’t get to go to school. They don’t get to have a childhood. And the world is forgetting about them.” said Amanda Rives, Senior Director Disaster Management at World Vision.

World Vision has surveyed forcibly displaced people for three years in a row, and more families than ever are telling the organization that their children are at an increased risk of violence. Rives explains, “We are extremely concerned about the especially high rates of child marriage in Afghanistan and Niger. Many families there have no income and no access to food. They are being given an unimaginable choice - either allow your children to die from starvation; or sell one child to marriage so that they can eat, and the dowry will enable you to feed the rest of your family. It is a decision that no parent should have to make, but too many are being faced with.”

Most families surveyed by World Vision said that they have dreams of supporting their families and rebuilding their countries. However, with so many malnourished children out of school, and with funding for the increasing needs not in place, the future for too many is bleak right now- even if they do get to return home someday.

“The numbers of refugees and internally displaced families in the world today can be overwhelming, but it’s important to remember that refugees are agents of their own future. If they receive the help that they need now, they can survive and rebuild their communities for a better future. They deserve dignity. Their children deserve a childhood,” said Rives.

World Vision has been cooperating with local communities and other humanitarian agencies to provide immediate and long-term assistance for refugees and displaced families, enabling those who suffer to survive, recover and build a future.

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