Somalia 4 chapter title goeS here
S av e t h e c h i l D r e N · S tat e o F t h e Wo r l D ’ S M ot h e r S 2 0 1 2 5 execUtive SUMMary: Key FiNDiNgS aND recoMMeNDatioNS Malnutrition is an underly<strong>in</strong>g cause of death for 2.6 million children each year, and it leaves millions more with lifelong physical and mental impairments. Worldwide, more than 170 million children do not have <strong>the</strong> opportunity to reach <strong>the</strong>ir full potential because of poor nutrition <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> earliest months of life. Much of a child’s future – and <strong>in</strong> fact much of a nation’s future – is determ<strong>in</strong>ed by <strong>the</strong> quality of nutrition <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> first 1,<strong>000</strong> days. The period from <strong>the</strong> start of a mo<strong>the</strong>r’s pregnancy through her child’s second birthday is a critical w<strong>in</strong>dow when a child’s bra<strong>in</strong> and body are develop<strong>in</strong>g rapidly and good nutrition is essential to lay <strong>the</strong> foundation for a healthy and productive future. If children do not get <strong>the</strong> right nutrients dur<strong>in</strong>g this period, <strong>the</strong> damage is often irreversible. This year’s State of <strong>the</strong> World’s Mo<strong>the</strong>rs report shows which countries are succeed<strong>in</strong>g – and which are fail<strong>in</strong>g – to provide good nutrition dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> critical 1,<strong>000</strong>-day w<strong>in</strong>dow. It exam<strong>in</strong>es how <strong>in</strong>vestments <strong>in</strong> nutrition solutions make a difference for mo<strong>the</strong>rs, children, communities, and society as a whole. It also po<strong>in</strong>ts to proven, low-cost solutions that could save millions of lives and help lift millions more out of ill-health and poverty. Key F<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs 1. <strong>Children</strong> <strong>in</strong> an alarm<strong>in</strong>g number of countries are not gett<strong>in</strong>g adequate nutrition dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir first 1,<strong>000</strong> days. Out of 73 develop<strong>in</strong>g countries – which toge<strong>the</strong>r account for 95 percent of child deaths – only four score “very good” on measures of young child nutrition. Our Infant and Toddler Feed<strong>in</strong>g Scorecard identifies Malawi, Madagascar, Peru and Solomon Islands as <strong>the</strong> top four countries where <strong>the</strong> majority of children under age 2 are be<strong>in</strong>g fed accord<strong>in</strong>g to recommended standards. More than two thirds of <strong>the</strong> countries on <strong>the</strong> Scorecard receive grades of “fair” or “poor” on <strong>the</strong>se measures overall, <strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>g vast numbers of children are not gett<strong>in</strong>g a healthy start <strong>in</strong> life. The bottom four countries on <strong>the</strong> Scorecard – Somalia, Côte d'Ivoire, Botswana and Equatorial Gu<strong>in</strong>ea – have stagger<strong>in</strong>gly poor performance on <strong>in</strong>dicators of early child feed<strong>in</strong>g and have made little to no progress s<strong>in</strong>ce 1990 <strong>in</strong> sav<strong>in</strong>g children’s lives. (To read more, turn to pages 26-31.) 2. Child malnutrition is widespread and it is limit<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> future success of millions of children and <strong>the</strong>ir countries. Stunt<strong>in</strong>g, or stunted growth, occurs when children do not receive <strong>the</strong> right type of nutrients, especially <strong>in</strong> utero or dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> first two years of life. <strong>Children</strong> whose bodies and m<strong>in</strong>ds are limited by stunt<strong>in</strong>g are at greater risk for disease and death, poor performance <strong>in</strong> school, and a lifetime of poverty. More than 80 countries <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> develop<strong>in</strong>g world have child stunt<strong>in</strong>g rates of 20 percent or more. Thirty of <strong>the</strong>se countries have what is considered to be “very high” stunt<strong>in</strong>g rates of 40 percent or more. While many countries are mak<strong>in</strong>g progress <strong>in</strong> reduc<strong>in</strong>g child malnutrition, stunt<strong>in</strong>g prevalence is on <strong>the</strong> rise <strong>in</strong> at least 14 countries, most of <strong>the</strong>m <strong>in</strong> sub-Saharan Africa. If current trends cont<strong>in</strong>ue, Africa may overtake Asia as <strong>the</strong> region most heavily burdened by child malnutrition. (To read more, turn to pages 15-21.) 3. Economic growth is not enough to fight malnutrition. Political will and effective strategies are needed to reduce malnutrition and prevent stunt<strong>in</strong>g. A number of relatively poor countries are do<strong>in</strong>g an admirable job of tackl<strong>in</strong>g this problem, while o<strong>the</strong>r countries with greater resources are not do<strong>in</strong>g so Vital statistics Malnutrition is <strong>the</strong> underly<strong>in</strong>g cause of more than 2.6 million child deaths each year. 171 million children – 27 percent of all chil- dren globally – are stunted, mean<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir bodies and m<strong>in</strong>ds have suffered permanent, irreversible damage due to malnutrition. In develop<strong>in</strong>g countries, breastfed children are at least 6 times more likely to survive <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> early months of life than non-breastfed children. If all children <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> develop<strong>in</strong>g world received adequate nutrition and feed<strong>in</strong>g of solid foods with breastfeed<strong>in</strong>g, stunt<strong>in</strong>g rates at 12 months could be cut by 20 percent. Breastfeed<strong>in</strong>g is <strong>the</strong> s<strong>in</strong>gle most effective nutrition <strong>in</strong>tervention for sav<strong>in</strong>g lives. If practiced optimally, it could prevent 1 million child deaths each year. Adults who were malnourished as children can earn an estimated 20 percent less on average than those who weren’t. The effects of malnutrition <strong>in</strong> develop<strong>in</strong>g countries can translate <strong>in</strong>to losses <strong>in</strong> GDP of up to 2-3 percent annually. Globally, <strong>the</strong> direct cost of malnutrition is estimated at $20 to $30 billion per year.