Nutrición y salud_midiendo nivel desnutrición

NUTRITION AND HEALTH

WE SAVE LIVES AND IMPROVE HEALTH

Malnutrition is one of the greatest threats to child survival globally, as the underlying cause of nearly half of all child deaths. Action Against Hunger, with more than four decades of experience working in the areas most affected by hunger, is internationally recognised for saving the lives of malnourished children.

Whether in isolated rural communities, overcrowded urban slums or refugee camps, we prevent and treat malnutrition in more than 50 countries. We work both in humanitarian emergencies and in more stable contexts to improve the health and survival of the most vulnerable children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

HELPING CHILDREN TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE

The first 1,000 days between pregnancy and the baby's second birthday are a critical window of opportunity for health. Good nutrition during this period strengthens the immune system, ensures healthy physical and intellectual development and increases children's chances of survival.

45%

of all child deaths
worldwide are due
to hunger and related causes.

14

million children under five suffer
from severe acute malnutrition,
the deadliest form of hunger.

75%

of acutely malnourished
children lack access to
life-saving treatment.

What are we doing on nutrition and health?

Detecting and treating malnutrition

Action Against Hunger pioneered some of the first formulas and approaches for treating malnourished children. Around the world, our teams work in health centres, mobile teams and communities to detect cases of malnutrition and ensure that children receive life-saving treatment. Each year, our community nutrition programmes reach hundreds of thousands of mothers and children.

Teaching, supporting and empowering parents.

Our teams train community health workers to educate mothers, fathers and other caregivers about the benefits of breastfeeding and improved nutrition to help babies and children grow strong and healthy.

In our support groups we work with pregnant women, new mothers and fathers. Our aim is to encourage and promote good health, nutrition, hygiene, sanitation and care practices for mothers, babies and young children.

We teach parents how to use simple tools to detect malnutrition in their homes, without the help of a community health worker. In this way, they can regularly monitor the nutritional status of their children and, if necessary, treat them in time.

We provide mental health support

Experience with conflict, extreme weather events, the stress of food insecurity and disease, and other distressing events can cause trauma, depression and other mental health problems. For parents, this can make it difficult to bond with and care for their children, which can lead to malnutrition or other illnesses.

Action Against Hunger teams provide psychological first aid in emergencies, offer mental health counselling, create safe spaces for women and children where they can relax, play, bond and talk about difficult issues, and help people develop coping strategies to deal with mental health problems.

We strengthen health systems

Strong health systems save lives and help children not only survive, but thrive. We provide technical expertise and support to strengthen community health systems, helping to harness and develop local capacity. We aim to transfer our knowledge, fill gaps in supplies and funding, work in partnership with communities and local governments, and improve local health and nutrition services to ensure sustainable impact.

We develop innovative approaches

For more than 40 years, our teams have been at the forefront of research in the field of nutrition. We have helped develop revolutionary products for nutritional treatment and have field-tested innovative treatment protocols, which are now best practice. Today, our research focuses on saving children's lives through new approaches to prevent and treat malnutrition.