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500m children 'at risk of effects of malnutrition'

Food price rises could undo work to reduce child malnutrition, Save the Children warns

Half a billion children could grow up physically and mentally stunted over the next 15 years because they do not have enough to eat, the charity Save the Children says in a new report !t says much more needs to be done to tackle malnutrition in the world"s poorest countries #he charity found that many families could not afford meat, milk or vegetables #he survey covered families in !ndia, $angladesh, %eru, %akistan and &igeria 'ne parent in six said their children were abandoning school to help out by working for food ( third of parents surveyed said their children complained about not having enough to eat

The survey was carried out in the five countries ) where, the agency says, half the world"s malnourished children live ) by international polling agency *lobescan
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! skip meals so ! can feed my +surviving, children ! borrow, ! even lie to somehow get money to feed them %overty breaks you down but you should be hopeful and strong.nd /uote 0elhi mother who lost two children to malnutrition

Record food prices

Save the Children said that a year of record food prices had worsened child malnutrition and could hit progress reducing child deaths 1#he world has made dramatic progress in reducing child deaths, down from 12 to 3 4 million, but this momentum will stall if we fail to tackle malnutrition,1 said Save the Children chief executive 5ustin Forsyth #he agency wants the 67 to lead the way in reducing hunger and protecting children from food price rises ) starting with a Hunger Summit when world leaders are in 8ondon for the 'lympics #he 67"s !nternational 0evelopment Secretary, (ndrew 9itchell, said the charity was right to focus on hunger and malnutrition, and $ritain would 1continue to urge other countries to match our own efforts in this area1 In its report, Save the Children says that one in four of the world"s children have stunted growth ) meaning their body and brain have failed to develop properly due to malnutrition .ighty percent of stunted children live in :ust four countries, the charity says

'Downward spiral'
9alnutrition contributes to the deaths of 2 4 million children each year, according to the report (ssumpta &dumi, a nutritionist who works with Save the Children in 7enya, told the $$C"s &etwork (frica programme that successive droughts are causing a downward spiral there;

5ustin Forsyth, Save the Children 67"s C.', wants a global "hunger summit"

1<hen another drought comes and livelihood assets are destroyed it becomes worse for families to be able to feed their children 19ilk is very important for families in north)eastern 7enya, so when livestock is lost they basically have no access to a protein source 1<e need to address the hidden hunger because it"s killing silently 1 Food prices rose sharply in the first half of last year, according to the 6&"s Food and (griculture 'rganisation =F('>, after severe weather in some of the world"s biggest food exporting countries in 2?1? damaged supplies #he F('"s Food %rice !ndex rose last month for the first time since 5uly 2?11, but was still 3@ lower than in 5anuary 2?11