Poverty & Hunger
Hunger is a complicated problem without a simple solution. On a basic level, hunger means not having the food you need to meet your energy needs. But people in poverty face a web of food-related issues including malnutrition, obesity and stunting. At Volunteers Heart For Africa believe children and youth cannot thrive in other areas of their life while suffering from food deprivation. Overall health is affected by lack of proper nutrition and children often fall behind in school due to illness or an inability to concentrate from hunger. Your sponsorship or gift creates lasting change for children and youth in these communities by providing access to nutrition programs, as well as crucial health and dental services, education programs and more.
Hunger and malnutrition. Not the same thing
Worldwide, malnutrition contributes to almost half of the deaths in children under 5, claiming the lives of over 3 million children per year. A child facing poverty may not be hungry, but she may be malnourished and not getting the vitamins and minerals she needs to thrive. Without enough food or the right nutrition, children face a variety of setbacks that can derail their path out of poverty. Here are a few malnutrition-related roadblocks:
Illness: Children with nutrition issues have weak immune systems, making them more likely to get sick. Malnutrition is the largest single contributor to disease in the world.
Brain starved: A brain starved of minerals and vital nutrients is one that can’t concentrate, setting hungry children up for failure in school.
Obesity: It may seem counterintuitive, but obesity is malnourishment, because the term describes all forms of poor nutrition. Even when food is relatively prevalent, it can be nutrient-poor — particularly lower-cost foods. Children can get too much food but too little of the vitamins and minerals they need, leaving them with the same challenges as undernourished children plus a whole new slate of health issues specific to obesity.
Obesity: It may seem counterintuitive, but obesity is malnourishment, because the term describes all forms of poor nutrition. Even when food is relatively prevalent, it can be nutrient-poor — particularly lower-cost foods. Children can get too much food but too little of the vitamins and minerals they need, leaving them with the same challenges as undernourished children plus a whole new slate of health issues specific to obesity.
TERMS TO KNOW: HIDDEN HUNGER Even when consuming an adequate amount of food, children may not be getting the vitamins, minerals and nutrition they need to stay healthy. Malnutrition is a complex problem to understand that isn’t caused or solved by one variable
