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Wednesday 15 October 2008

On the eve of World Food Day on Thursday 16 October, Save the Children warns that hundreds of millions of the world’s poorest children already suffering from severe malnutrition will face a bleaker future as developing nations grapple with food, fuel and financial crises.

Save the Children has urged world leaders to mobilise a global response and to not ignore children suffering from chronic malnourishment, either at home or in the developing world.

“As a result of these three major crises coming within the last year, millions of families in the world are going to find it more difficult to feed their children, give them access to health care and keep them in school,” said John Bowis, Executive Director, Save the Children New Zealand. “It is going to be especially difficult for nearly 1 billion people who are already suffering from chronic malnutrition and living in very poor conditions,” he said.

A new World Bank study shows that high food and fuel prices are expected to increase the number of malnourished people around the world this year by 44 million to reach a total of 967 million, which will cause irreparable damage to the health of millions of children.

"The figures are staggering," Jon Bowis said. "In the Horn of Africa, at least 3 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition. In Ethiopia alone, 75,000 children are now in immediate need of therapeutic feeding, and the numbers are growing. "

In Ethiopia, Save the Children is currently working to help nearly 900,000 people in six of the worst-affected regions. Work includes setting up schemes to provide parents with a way to earn food and money, providing clean water, emergency feeding and healthcare for malnourished children, delivering veterinary drugs and animal feed to help families keep their animals alive.

Save the Children is also working with families in Ethiopia to ensure that early marriage, child labour and trafficking are not used as ways of supplementing income or reducing the number of persons to feed. Save the Children are also working to make sure children can continue to attend school at this time.

Donate to Save the Children New Zealand’s Annual Appeal which runs from 13 – 19 October. Your money will go to those children in greatest need in New Zealand and around the world.

To support you can: Donate online by visiting our secure online donation page ; Make a $20 donation by calling 0900 67168 or send a cheque to PO Box 6584, Marion Square, Wellington.

For further information please contact:
Shelley McCarten, Communications Advisor, Save the Children New Zealand
04 381 7573 / 021 108 9131 / shelley.mccarten@savethechildren.org.nz

For more information on the African food crisis please contact Dominic Nutt in London on +44 207 012 6841 or +44 7831 650 409 (out of hours). Photos, case studies and videos on how food prices are affecting families are also available.

Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organisation for children, with members in 28 countries making a difference to children’s lives in over 120 countries. Save the Children fights for children’s rights and delivers immediate and lasting improvements to children’s lives that help to make them healthy, educated and protected.