Malnutrition early in a child’s life can have a lasting impact on health and development

(Nairobi, August 18, 2011) CARE International, a leading humanitarian organization, urges donors to increase assistance for pregnant women and lactating mothers in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa. Of the more than 12 million people currently needing humanitarian assistance in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti, an estimated 360,000 women are pregnant. One in five women of reproductive age in Somalia is acutely malnourished, compromising a mother’s own health during pregnancy and contributing to the high prevalence of low birth weight of children.

Malnutrition during pregnancy and the first two years of a child’s life can have very negative lasting impact on the child’s future health and development. “Children deprived of good nutrition during the first 1000 days of life often have stunted growth, poor cognitive development and low immunity to disease”, says Barbara Jackson, CARE’s Humanitarian Director. “The first two years of a child’s life are incredibly important for their mental and physical development. We must ensure that we act during this window of opportunity so that all children have access to food and care that will prevent permanent mental and physical damage to their bodies and future growth potential and development.”

In many areas of the Horn of Africa, malnutrition is a chronic condition and levels of severe and moderate malnourishment are exacerbated by the current drought. Estimates from before the current crisis show that about 35% of children under five in Kenya and 47% in Ethiopia are stunted, as a result of chronic malnutrition. “This is a case where we have two or more generations malnourished, trapped in a cycle of hunger. The current drought severely worsens the situation, and without strong interventions by the international community, thousands of children will miss out on what should be normal, every day opportunities for their entire existence because they did not receive adequate nutrition at the right time in their young lives ” says Jackson. More than a third of deaths of children under age five can be attributed to maternal and child undernutrition.

In Ethiopia, CARE distributes therapeutic food in government-run health centers to stabilize the conditions of severely malnourished children. Pregnant women and lactating mothers also receive additional food during CARE’s food distributions. However, long-term solutions to break the cycle of chronic hunger and prevent children and mothers from malnourishment are needed as much as emergency relief. “Preventing malnutrition is much cheaper than scaling up emergency response”, says Barbara Jackson. “During the food crisis in Niger in 2005, it would have cost 1 US Dollar a day to prevent malnutrition among children if the world had responded immediately. By July 2005, it was costing 80 US Dollar to save a malnourished child’s life.”

The best way to ensure that children receive adequate nutrition early in life is through exclusive breastfeeding from birth to six months, with the introduction of appropriate complementary feeding at six months.  An estimated 86,000 lactating women in the Horn of Africa are anticipated to be acutely malnourished due to the current drought. They must be provided with food to protect and rebuild their own body stores of nutrients. In addition, mothers may require emotional support to build confidence in their abilities to nourish their infants, designated private space for breastfeeding, for example in refugee camps, as well as practical, skilled help to address any breastfeeding difficulties they may experience. By breastfeeding mothers provide their infants and young children with food that is both safer and of higher nutritional value than other relief commodities. Additionally, breastmilk provides the child with important agents that protect against disease, an essential need in an emergency setting. “Focused efforts to restore the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women and support women to successfully breastfeed their children are life-saving interventions we must not neglect during emergencies”, Jackson urges.