Fighting hunger is one of those issues that can sometimes feel so vast and overwhelming that it’s hard to know where to start. But here’s the thing: hunger isn’t just about people not having enough food to eat. It’s about millions of children and adults struggling to get the nutrition they need to not only survive – but thrive. If you’re not sure where to begin, don’t worry. We’re here to breakdown the effects of childhood hunger and how FMSC is here to help.

Terms we use

Let’s look at key terms commonly used to describe hunger and its impact:

• Malnutrition: The World Food Programme explains that malnutrition is a general term that covers both undernutrition and overweight/obesity. Symptoms of malnutrition occur when a person’s nutrient or energy intake does not meet, or exceeds, their body’s requirements.
• Wasting: Wasting is defined as low weight-for-height. It often indicates recent and severe weight loss, although it can also persist for a long time, according to the World Health Organization.
• Stunting: Stunting, as explained by the World Health Organization, is the impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation.
• Starvation: Starvation is explained by Science Direct as a lack of essential nutrients, usually over a prolonged period, and is characterized clinically by profound physiological and metabolic disturbances.
• Hunger: Hunger is defined by the United Nations as the periods when people experience severe food insecurity—meaning that they go for entire days without eating due to lack of money, access to food, or other resources.
• Food Insecurity: Food insecurity is when people can't access the food they need to live their fullest lives according to Feeding America.
• Famine: Famine is the worst level of food insecurity, explains Doctors without Borders. The term famine can be used when the following criteria are met: the mortality rate exceeds two deaths per 10,000 people per day, acute malnutrition exceeds 30% and when 1 in 5 people are not getting enough to eat.
• Hidden hunger: Hidden hunger is the presence of multiple micronutrient deficiencies (particularly iron, zinc, iodine and vitamin A), which can occur without a deficit in energy intake as a result of consuming an energy-dense, but nutrient-poor diet according to the National Library of Medicine.

What is childhood hunger?

Childhood hunger refers to the condition in which children, particularly those in low-income or developing areas, don’t have enough access to food that provides the necessary nutrients for healthy growth and development. According to Unicef, undernutrition is linked to nearly half of all deaths of children under age 5. With around 148 million children in the world, 1 in 5 are chronically malnourished to a degree. Malnutrition puts children at greater risk of dying from common infections, increases the frequency and severity of such infections and delays recovery. When a child suffers from malnutrition, the damage can be irreversible — robbing them of the opportunity to reach their full mental and physical potential.

Why does childhood hunger still exist?

There are a lot of reasons why hunger is still a major global issue, and most of them ae linked to poverty and other systemic issues. A few of the main causes include:

• Poverty: The most significant factor contributing to childhood hunger is poverty. When families live below the poverty line, they often don’t have the resources to provide nutritious food for their families. Poverty can also make it difficult for families to access clean water and healthcare, both of which are essential for a child’s wellbeing.
• Conflict and displacement: In many impoverished countries, ongoing conflict or political unrest disrupts food production, trade and distribution. War forces many families to flee their homes, leaving them without access to nutritious food.
• Limited access to education: In many impoverished countries, children often don’t have access to education, and girls are disproportionally affected. Without education, children are more likely to grow up in poverty and continue the cycle of hunger. School feeding programs help address this issue by encouraging parents to send their children to school, knowing that they will receive a nutritious meal during the day.
• Natural disasters: Natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis can have an immediate and devastating impact of food availability. These occurrences destroy crops, disrupt supply chains and leave communities without access to food for extended periods of time. Children in these areas often face hunger as their countries recover from these disasters.

How does FMSC help?

Our process is simple. Donations given by people just like you fund the meal ingredients. Volunteers hand-pack the meals. Meals are donated to FMSC food partners around the world, where kids are fed and lives are saved!

What can you do?

Whether it’s volunteering, donating or spreading the word about FMSC, there are many exciting ways to get involved and help put an end to childhood hunger. Your support makes it possible for us to provide hope and the promise of a beautiful future to precious children around the world. Get involved now >>