5 Ways Investing in Good Nutrition is Working

The scale of malnutrition can be overwhelming. Every year it kills over 3 million children under the age of 5 and leaves another 159 million stunted. Yet, the world holds the solutions to prevent malnutrition. When individuals, communities and organizations come together to focus their efforts on improving nutrition, women are healthier, children can survive and thrive, and nations can prosper.

Here are five examples of how investments in maternal and child nutrition are working:

  1. Parents in Zambia are uniting to reduce malnutrition. World Vision’s Christina Bradic shows the power of communities to improve nutrition education.
  1. Vietnam triples its breastfeeding rates in just 5 years. 1,000 Days’ Lucy Sullivan lays out what the U.S. and others can learn from investing in breastfeeding promotion and support.
  1. Women and girls are key to ending intergenerational cycles of malnutrition and poverty. ONE’s Tom Hart makes the case for what’s needed to break the cycle of poverty and malnutrition.
  1. Maternal nutrition saves lives. Save the Children’s Mark Shriver shares how countries can save the lives of moms and babies by investing in maternal nutrition.
  1. Good nutrition fuels a country’s economy. WFP USA’s Allan Jury explains what countries need to do to capitalize on these economic opportunities.

Clearly we know what works, and we can see the powerful results when we invest in maternal and child nutrition.

This August, world leaders will gather in Brazil to commit to ending malnutrition as part of the Nutrition for Growth summit. It is essential that countries come to the table with strong pledges, for this is an opportunity to build healthier and more prosperous futures for all.