Reaching the marginalized: EFA global monitoring report, 2010; 2010

PROGRESS TOWARDS THE EFA GOALSEarly childhood care and educationpoor guide to deprivation. Guatemala is not oneof the world’s poorest countries, but it has oneof the highest levels of child stunting. Almost halfof the country’s children are malnourished – andin parts of rural Guatemala, where the populationis largely Mayan, the figure reaches 80%. Overthe past two years, drought and high food priceshave made things worse. But the underlyingproblem is extreme inequality in wealthdistribution, allied to the failure of governmentto mobilize resources for social protection.Nutritional indicators have been deterioratingin many countries over the past two years.World agricultural prices rose sharply in thetwo years to 2008, affecting all major tradedfood staples. While prices have since fallen, theyhave stabilized at levels far higher than they werebefore 2007. Effects at the national level havevaried considerably, depending on the incidenceof poverty and dependence on food imports.However, higher food prices have almost certainlystalled global progress in cutting malnutrition.Recent estimates from the Food and AgriculturalOrganization of the United Nations suggest thatthe number of malnourished people in the worldincreased from 848 million in 2005 to 963 millionin 2008, largely because of rising food prices(FAO, 2008). Another 44 million people mayhave been pushed into malnutrition during 2008(Commission on Growth and Development, 2008).The damage inflicted by higher food prices hasbeen unevenly spread. Outcomes depend onwhether households are net sellers or buyersof food, on access to savings or credit and oncurrent nutritional status. For people living belowthe international poverty threshold of $1.25 a day,many of whom spend 50% to 70% of their incomeon food, higher food prices pose a stark choice:eat less or decrease spending in other areas(von Braun, 2008; World Bank, 2008a). Landlessrural households, low-income urban groups andfemale-headed households have been amongthe hardest hit. Many have cut already inadequatediets and switched from protein-rich foods tocheaper coarse cereals (Hauenstein Swan et al.,2009; von Braun, 2008). In Bangladesh, whererice and wheat prices almost doubled in 2007,it is estimated that a 50% increase in the priceof food staples increases the prevalence of irondeficiency among women and children by 25%(Bouis, 2008).Figure 2.2: Low birth weight sets the scene for lifelong disadvantageAverage % of infants with low birth weight, selected regions, 2000–2007 1% of infants with low birth weight302520151050East Asia/PacificLatin America/CaribbeanMiddle East/North AfricaSub-SaharanAfricaNotes: Regions presented are those used by UNICEF, which differ to some extent fromthe EFA regions. Low birth weight is defined as less than 2.5 kilograms.1. Data are for the most recent year available during the period specified.Source: UNICEF (2008b).Short-term distress in the form of rising malnutritionwill have long-term consequences for education.As more children experience episodes ofmalnutrition in early childhood their prospects forlearning will be diminished. At the same time, risingpressure on household budgets will have widerconsequences as poor parents are forced to adjusthousehold budgets. There is evidence fromBangladesh, Jamaica and Kenya of householdscutting education spending to accommodate higherfood prices (Hossain et al., 2009; World Bank, 2008e).High food prices have not been the only causeof rising malnutrition. In northern Sri Lanka,300,000 people were displaced by conflict in 2009.It is estimated that about 13% of the displacedwere children under 5. A survey covering six ofthe thirteen camps for displaced people foundthat one in four children was malnourished andone in three was moderately or severely stunted(Jayatissa, 2009). Failure to adequately protectthese children raises wider issues of humanitarianconcern. But the consequences for education willalso be severe.SouthAsiaMaternal health — critical, but neglectedThe health of newborn children – critical for latereducational chances – is intimately related tothe health of their mothers. Women who aremalnourished and suffering from micronutrientdeficiency face far higher risks during pregnancyand childbirth, and are more likely to give birth tounderweight babies. Restricted growth of the foetusduring pregnancy is a major risk factor for maternalhealth and child survival – and is likely to lead tofuture educational disadvantage.Short-termdistress in theform of risingmalnutrition willhave long-termconsequencesfor education45