Category: 1,000 Days

The first 1,000 days: How early nutrition shapes health and development

Good nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life — from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday — is critical for a child’s health and development and economic prosperity. A well-nourished child is more likely to thrive in school, avoid illness, and escape poverty, bringing long-term benefits to families, communities, and economies.

In contrast, nutrient deficiencies during early childhood can lead to stunting and lower lifetime earnings. “Every $1 invested in nutrition brings a $23 return,” said Toyin Adewale-Gabriel, senior technical adviser, policy and advocacy, at FHI360’s Alive & Thrive project in Nigeria. Despite some progress, food insecurity is rising, and the world is not on track to meet any of the six global nutrition targets set for 2025, with some indicators worsening. Nearly 1 in 4 children are stunted, anemia rates among women aged 15 to 49 have risen, and progress on low birthweight and childhood overweight has stalled. With malnutrition threatening future generations, urgent investment is needed in maternal and child nutrition to break the cycle of poverty.

In the above video explainer, 1,000 Days partnered with Devex to explore the crucial role of nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life — not only for a child’s future but also for the prosperity of their country. Read the full story on Devex here.

The Best Investment in Public Health? Nutrition

Few investments offer as high a return as nutrition. Ensuring that women and children receive adequate nutrition in the first 1,000 days—from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday—yields economic, social, and health benefits that far outweigh the cost. Prioritizing nutrition isn’t just a moral imperative—it’s a wise economic decision.

That’s why we’re glad to see the world come together this week to recommit to fighting the global malnutrition crisis.

At the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in Paris, global leaders and organizations pledged over $27 billion to combat malnutrition. Philanthropies stepped up to the challenge, pledging more than $2 billion in new commitments.

Proven Nutrition Interventions with High ROI

We know what works in nutrition. Decades of research have proven the efficacy of nutrition interventions like providing prenatal vitamins to pregnant women (multiple micronutrient supplementation or MMS), exclusive and prolonged breastfeeding, vitamin A supplementation, food fortification, access for everyone to an affordable healthy diet and to supplemental nutritional support (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods or RUTFs) for malnourished children.

We know the problem is large. Half of all child deaths are caused by undernutrition. 1 in 3 people around the world cannot afford a healthy diet. Without sufficient protein, vitamins, and essential micronutrients, children remain at higher risk of illness, developmental delays, and long-term health issues.

And we know that nutrition is the smartest investment in public health, with the largest return on investment. Every $1 invested in nutrition yields $23 in economic returns. Malnutrition is a massive barrier to children achieving their educational and economic potential, but it also costs the world. Malnutrition can reduce a country’s GDP by up to 11% per year due to lost productivity, increased healthcare costs, and diminished human potential. Preventing malnutrition is also significantly more cost-effective than treating its consequences. Stunting and micronutrient deficiencies increase the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, leading to billions in avoidable healthcare costs.

A Call to Action: Prioritize Nutrition Now

“Good nutrition is foundational to life and health, and it’s critical that we must marshal our resources to face this challenge.” – Dr. Nadra Franklin, Vice President of Global Nutrition at FHI 360

While the scale of the problem is large, there is cause for optimism: fewer children are dying from malnutrition than a few decades ago and the global stunting rate has halved since 1990. Investing in nutrition is an investment in stronger economies, healthier populations, and long-term stability. With continued investment, we can accelerate this progress.

During the Nutrition for Growth Summit, world leaders chose to commit to bold, evidence-based investments in nutrition. The choice is clear: investing in nutrition today builds a healthier, more prosperous tomorrow. The real question isn’t whether we can afford to invest in nutrition—it’s whether we can afford not to.

Why Anemia is Holding Women Back

This year, the world will come together to celebrate International Women’s Day under the theme: “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” This year’s theme is a powerful call to action, urging us to unlock opportunities and champion a future where no one is left behind.

At 1,000 Days, we believe achieving this vision starts with one fundamental pillar: good nutrition. And yet, for one in three women and girls, anemia—a condition primarily caused by poor nutrition—continues to stand in the way of their health, economic potential, and empowerment.

Anemia: A silent barrier to women’s health and potential

Anemia affects half a billion women of reproductive age worldwide, with iron deficiency being the most common cause. This condition is not just about feeling tired—it weakens immune systems and increases risk of infections. During pregnancy, anemia has been associated with poor outcomes for both mothers and babies, including premature birth, low birth weight and maternal mortality. Women suffering from severe anemia during pregnancy are twice as likely to die during or shortly after pregnancy than non-anemic women, and anemia is the cause of 20% of maternal deaths worldwide.

Anemia is not only a health issue; it’s a barrier to women’s and girl’s potential too. Anemia causes extreme fatigue and poor concentration, hindering learning potential, educational attainment, and productivity. Women and girls, particularly those in low-income and marginalized communities, often face more significant obstacles in accessing the iron-rich foods, supplements, and healthcare they need. These barriers perpetuate cycles of malnutrition and poverty, preventing women from fully participating in society and the economy.

Addressing anemia accelerates change

When we invest in tackling anemia, we invest in stronger women, healthier families, and more resilient economies. The benefits of addressing anemia are profound:

  1. Healthier Pregnancies & Babies: Anemia in pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth by 30% and low birth weight by 40%. Ensuring pregnant women have access to iron and folic acid can save lives and improve newborn health.
  2. Stronger Women:  Adolescent girls with anemia often struggle in school due to cognitive impairments linked to iron deficiency. Research has proven that anemia negatively impacts work performance and productivity. When women and girls have access to the nutrition they need, they can achieve their potential, participate fully in society, and build security for their families.
  3. Better Economic Outcomes:  Research from the World Bank estimates that anemia reduces work productivity by up to 17%, costing some economies more than $70 billion annually in lost productivity. Addressing anemia means stronger economies and stronger women in the workforce.

How we can accelerate change

Fighting anemia requires urgent, multisectoral action. Here’s how we can make an impact:

  1. Expand access to Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS): Governments and health systems must ensure women and adolescent girls have access to essential nutrition interventions, including multiple micronutrient supplementation and prenatal care. According to UNICEF, scaled-up MMS can drive country-level progress towards global goals and targets to improve anemia, low birth weight, wasting, and stunting.
  2. Scale food fortification: Investing in food fortification—adding iron to staple foods like flour, maize flour, rice, and oil—can effectively reduce anemia rates for just pennies. Countries like India have seen success by fortifying staples with vitamin B-12, iron and folic acid, providing a cost-effective solution to widespread deficiencies.
  3. Prioritize Girls’ & Women’s Health in Policies: Nutrition must be integrated into national health and gender equality plans. Governments, nonprofits, and the private sector must work together to eliminate obstacles for women and children to good nutrition.
  4. Educate & Empower Young Women: Young women and adolescent girls must be equipped with nutrition knowledge to advocate for their health and futures. Schools and communities play a vital role in ensuring this education reaches those who need it most. Studies show that nutrition education programs have increased iron intake among adolescent girls.

A future where no one is left behind

This International Women’s Day, we can take bold action to ensure every woman and girl—regardless of income, geography, or status—has the right to the nutrition she needs to thrive. 

Anemia is a solvable challenge. By investing in solutions today, we are building a future where all women and girls can rise, lead, and shape a more just and equal world.

Join us in advocating for change. Together, we can make anemia a thing of the past and build a future where women’s health is never a barrier to their rights, equality, or empowerment.

Take Action: Share this message. Advocate for maternal and adolescent nutrition. Support policies that expand access to essential nutrition services. Because when women are strong, we all rise.

National Nutrition Month: A Time to Connect

March is our favorite time of year: it’s National Nutrition Month®!

At 1,000 Days, we believe that every family, everywhere deserves the opportunity to have a healthy 1,000-day window and beyond – and that starts with access to good nutrition. Decades of research has shown that nutrition plays a foundational role in a child’s development and her country’s ability to prosper.

This year is extra special as we focus on food as a connecting factor for all of us – connecting us to our cultures, our families, our babies and our friends.

Follow #March4Nutrition on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter/X all month long and join the conversation.

Find our social media toolkit here.

Addressing breastfeeding disparities across the United States

By Valentina Giraldo Lozano, intern at 1,000 Days of FHI 360

Breastfeeding provides a fundamental contribution to early childhood nutrition and health. However, in the United States its benefits are not experienced by everyone equally, as breastfeeding rates vary significantly by race and ethnicity.

The national breastfeeding rate in the United States is relatively high: about 84% of infants are breastfed at birth. But when broken down by race and ethnicity, we see drastic disparities: the CDC reports that, at birth, 92.7% of Asian infants and 86.2% of white infants are breastfed, with rates dropping to 81.9% for Hispanic infants, 78.4% for Indigenous infants, and 77.3% for Black infants.  Black, Hispanic, and multiracial parents are also less likely to breastfeed for the recommended six months, compared to the U.S. national rate.

Multiple factors contribute to these disparities, including access to healthcare, socio-economic status, cultural norms, employment and childcare challenges and systemic racism.

The disparity in support often starts at the hospital, with maternity care facilities serving Black populations being much less likely to offer lactation support. A long history of medical racism and targeted marketing of formula to Black mothers also plays a role in Black mothers not being supported to breastfeed by medical professionals.

Low breastfeeding rates may also be a reflection of negative cultural perceptions of breastfeeding and a lack of support from breastfeeding role models in a mother’s family and community. Peer counseling and support groups can significantly increase breastfeeding rates and provide quality information in a culturally sensitive manner.

Socio-economic status and your job type can also play a role. Many lower-income jobs do not provide workplace supports that would support sustained breastfeeding, such as access to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or employer provided- paid leave, flexible work schedules, or support for breastfeeding or expressing milk at work. This forces lower-income women to return to work sooner than other women, cutting short their opportunity to establish breastfeeding routines.

Racial and ethnic disparities in breastfeeding rates have significant implications for health and for future social and economic outcomes. Suboptimal breastfeeding rates are associated with a greater burden of disease among Hispanic and Black populations: the rates of the ear infection acute otitis media and necrotizing enterocolitis (the most common and serious intestinal disease among premature babies) are much higher in Black and Hispanic children than white children, as is the number of excess child deaths.

Policies have real impact

Breastfeeding doesn’t happen in a vacuum – to be successful, families need supportive policies. New hard-won policies, like the PUMP Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, are significant steps in the right direction. But stronger support is necessary, especially for Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous women who face significant barriers to breastfeeding.

Federal and state governments must take decisive action to ensure that all mothers have the support they need to breastfeed their children. This includes enforcing comprehensive policies like the PUMP Act, extending paid family leave, and ensuring workplace accommodations for breastfeeding mothers. Raising awareness about existing disparities and advocating for stronger, more inclusive breastfeeding support systems is essential for achieving equitable health outcomes among all parents and children. Employers, policymakers, and community leaders must collaborate to create environments that support breastfeeding mothers.

This year, the theme for National Breastfeeding Month is Nourish, Sustain, Thrive. Nourishing, sustaining, and thriving means ensuring that all mothers, regardless of race or socio-economic status, have the support they need to breastfeed during the critical first 1,000 days. By addressing disparities in breastfeeding rates and advocating for robust, inclusive policies, we can promote the health and well-being of infants and mothers across diverse communities. The journey toward equitable health outcomes begins with every drop of breast milk, and it’s a journey we must all support.

Breastfeeding in the United States: Empowering Mothers Through Paid Leave

Solianna Meaza, Interim Initiative Director at 1,000 Days of FHI 360, bonding with her firstborn during maternity leave.

 

By Solianna Meaza, Interim Initiative Director at 1,000 Days of FHI 360

In recent years, the United States has made progress in recognizing the critical role of breastfeeding in infant health and development. Central to this progress is the support provided by paid leave policies, which empower parents who choose to breastfeed the time and stability to breastfeed their children and promote a healthier start to life.

The benefits and challenges of breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is widely acknowledged as the optimal nutrition for children, providing essential nutrients, antibodies, and bonding opportunities crucial for their growth and development. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, with continued breastfeeding alongside complementary foods for at least one year.

But breastfeeding is not a one-person job, and it doesn’t just happen. It requires encouragement and support from skilled counselors, family members, healthcare providers, employers, policymakers and others.

One of the most common reasons that breastfeeding is stopped early is the necessity to return to work and/or the lack of support received in the workplace. In the U.S., 79% of babies are breastfed at one month. However, this rate drops drastically in the first few months of life and by 6 months, only about half of infants receive any breast milk and just 25% receive breast milk exclusively.

This dramatic drop in breastfeeding rates can be directly linked to our lack of paid parental leave.

Research shows that maternity leave is critical to enabling early, exclusive and continued breastfeeding. The World Health Organization states that establishing and maintaining exclusive breastfeeding requires that all working mothers have access to at least 18 weeks, and preferably 6 months or more, of paid maternity leave. Today’s reality is vastly off target: on average, new mothers in the United States take 10 weeks of maternity leave, of which four weeks are covered through paid sick or personal time, with the rest unpaid. Paternity leave is also crucial as a support to mothers in recovery and breastfeeding and to allow for bonding and transition. There, the U.S. lags too: the average leave of non-birthing parents is just one week.

As the only wealthy country without universal paid family or medical leave coverage, the U.S. is a global outlier on paid leave. The majority of American families are forced to cut short their recovery, transition, and bonding time, all of which is crucial to establishing breastfeeding and supporting child and maternal health. In addition to early cessation of breastfeeding, having scarce or no paid leave contributes to serious health burdens, including delaying babies’ immunizations. Without the stability of paid family leave, mothers have higher financial pressures and increased stress, which leads to increased rates of postpartum depression symptoms.

As awareness grows about the benefits of breastfeeding and the importance of paid leave, policies are slowly improving. There’s a growing number of states that offer mandatory paid family leave systems: thirteen states and Washington, D.C. now offer partial wage replacement to workers in businesses of all sizes, with an additional nine states having voluntary systems that provide paid family leave through private insurance. But most families in the U.S. remain unsupported, especially those in lower-income brackets or working in industries with less generous policies.

Paid leave policies are instrumental in promoting breastfeeding in the United States and are crucial for infant and maternal health. I was able to take advantage of paid maternity leave with my first baby and soon with my second. We at 1,000 Days support advocacy efforts and continue to push for policy changes at both state and federal levels. As we continue to advocate for comprehensive paid leave policies, we move closer to ensuring every child has the best possible start in life.

Nourishing, surviving, and thriving with breastfeeding

Breastfeeding gives babies the very best start to life—and benefits that reach far into the future. Breastmilk is nature’s perfect first food, tailor-made for babies providing all the nutrition including vitamins, proteins and fats that they need for the first six months of life. It also acts as a baby’s first vaccine, protecting them from common childhood illnesses.

Despite all the great benefits, both globally and across the United States, breastfeeding rates are low, risking malnutrition and disease for both mothers and babies.

As World Breastfeeding Week and National Breastfeeding Month begin, 1,000 Days celebrates the progress made to support families in breastfeeding their babies, while also recognizing the additional steps that need to be taken to truly support all those who chose to initiate and sustain breastfeeding.

This year, the theme for World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7) is Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All. Globally, breastfeeding rates have increased by 10 percentage points over the past decade to 48%, nearly reaching the World Health Assembly target of 50% by 2025. However, despite the increase, wide discrepancies remain between individual countries; in some places, rates remain as low as 20%. The consequences of not breastfeeding can be deadly and lead to mass financial loss. Nearly 500,000 children and nearly 100,000 women die each year due to inadequate breastfeeding. These preventable deaths, combined with cognitive losses, and health system costs of inadequate breastfeeding leads to over US$570 billion in economic losses annually.

Here in the United States, most babies start out being breastfed, but the rates drop quickly and suddenly a few months into life when mothers return to work. Only 1 in 4 American babies is exclusively breastfed at six months of age, due in no small part to workplace barriers and a lack of paid maternity leave. We join with National Breastfeeding Month organizers the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee to honor the incredible work that organizations across the country are doing to make the world a little more friendly for new parents and families, and celebrate the following observances across the month:

We welcome you to join us this month to shine a light on why protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding is so important. You can find our 2024 Inspiration Guide, featuring social media messaging and graphics, here.

Follow along on our Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram all month long!

Why new dads should take parental leave – lessons from my father

In the early 1990’s, my dad joined the first cohort of men to take part in Canada’s newly minted paternity leave program, a step so novel that it inspired a full-page newspaper spread and the now cringe-inducing moniker, “Mr. Mom.” Mr. Mom, aka Gordon Kent, took 6 months off work to stay home with me, while my mom returned to work. Now, 3 decades later, I’m fighting to grant the same opportunity to dads across the United States.

Despite strong bipartisan support for parental leave, the United States remains the only high-income country that doesn’t mandate any paid parental leave. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that only about a quarter of employees in the private sector workforce have access to paid family leave and 1 in 4 women return to work within 2 weeks of giving birth. For fathers, the numbers are even bleaker: fewer than 5 percent of American fathers take 2 or more weeks of leave.

Programs and policies that allow men to spend more time caring for their young children have numerous benefits for nutrition, child development, and women’s empowerment. After taking parental leave, men tend to share more equally in household labor even after they return to work. The skills men gain during their time at home have important impacts on both their children and their partners. Paternity leave is correlated with improved breastfeeding rates, better psychological health for children, reductions to the “motherhood penalty”, and new mothers who are significantly less likely to face physical and mental health complications. At a societal level, the knock-on effects of paternity leave can facilitate economic growth, shift gender norms, and help level the playing field for working mothers.

When I asked my dad why he chose to take paternity leave, he said that not staying home with his first child (and a second daughter when she came along) never entered his mind. As he put it, “how could I miss such an opportunity when I was so lucky to have it offered?” My father recalls our time together being “exhilarating, exhausting, and sublime.” While holding his baby, he says the last thing on his mind was whether he was falling behind at work.

For individual dads, the experience can be life changing. Research has shown that spending time looking after a baby rewires fathers’ brains to make them better caregivers. The more time they spend, the more their brain adapts. Paternity leave is key to giving dads the time to bond more deeply with their children in ways that will impact their relationship both immediately and in the years to come.

Equally important are the ways in which men’s involvement in childcare and other household tasks can alleviate the care burden that is often placed disproportionally on women. As my dad wrote at the time, “even though I’m on parental leave, it should really be classified as educational leave. I’m seeing first-hand a world traditionally dominated by women.” For him, the experience gave him both an appreciation for the challenges of caring for a family and the skills he needed to contribute more to household work. 

When my dad wrote about his time staying home with me, he closed his article by noting that “Emma probably won’t remember our time together, but it’s something I’ll cherish forever.” In that he’s partially right – I don’t remember our time together per se. But I believe it laid the foundation for a life-long closeness between us and that it created the bond with my dad that I value so deeply today.

The author, Emma, smiles as her dad embraces her and her baby son

Making strides towards nutrition and gender equality in Nigeria

By Lilian Okafor, CS-SUNN

In Nigeria, malnutrition not only affects individuals, but also stunts economic growth and human development. The Women and Girls’ Nutrition Project is a collaborative effort implemented by the Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), in partnership with FHI360, Alive & Thrive, 1,000 Days, and Intake, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The project aims to empower women and girls to achieve optimal nutrition and stand as crucial pillars for progress.

The project partnered with federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies relevant to nutrition to develop a cross-cutting Action Agenda for women and girls’ nutrition in Nigeria that delivers healthy diets, care, gender equality, and a multi-system enabling environment as priorities for a thriving female from girlhood. These include:

  • Support the nutrition department of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to develop national guidelines on women and girls’ empowerment for optimal nutrition by September 2024.
  • Secure commitments of Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) relevant to nutrition (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Development, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) to increase the number of women in decision-making positions by at least 10% by 2024.
  • Increase gender equity in the access and utilization of public economic empowerment schemes by at least 10% nationally by 2024.
  • Increase awareness of professionals at the federal level, who have the potential to become champions, on the benefits of girls staying in school beyond basic education and the impact on nutrition outcomes.

Milestones Achieved:

The journey towards this transformative vision has been marked by a series of significant milestones:

  • National Workshop on Women and Girls Nutrition: Leveraging momentum towards the pursuit of gender-inclusive nutrition, the National Workshop on Women and Girls Nutrition proved a pivotal event, uniting stakeholders from across Nigeria in a shared mission. Over two days, a dynamic blend of in-person and online participation brought together 167 virtual attendees with 30 enthusiastic on-site participants. Through a diverse array of activities spanning presentations, group discussions, and brainstorming sessions, participants collaborated to create an advocacy goal and four strategic objectives tailored to Nigeria’s unique context. Following this workshop, the coalition then agreed crafted a comprehensive advocacy strategy delineating actionable pathways towards achieving project objectives and engaging stakeholders across key sectors.
  • National Guideline for Women and Girl’s Nutrition for Optimal Nutrition: CS-SUNN successfully achieved the primary objective of the Women Nutrition Project by supporting the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to develop a National Guideline on Women and Girls’ Empowerment for Optimal Nutrition. This involved convening a crucial gathering of nutrition stakeholders, including government ministries, agencies, and partners, to review and shape the guidelines content and framework. The resulting guideline, spanning six key sections, addresses critical aspects of empowerment principles, program initiatives, policies, coordination mechanisms, and implementation strategies. The Guidelines were recently validated and has been adopted by the  key stakeholders including the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, representing a key step towards empowering women and girls nationwide. It will be launched before the end of 2024.
  • Women In Power Conference: In May, the coalition hosted the Women in Power Conference for Nutrition, convening women from various spheres of society, including governor’s wives and accomplished professionals. The conference served as a platform to spotlight the pivotal roles women play in driving advancements in women and girls’ nutrition at the state level. Encouragingly, there is strong enthusiasm to establish this conference as an annual fixture in Nigeria, serving as a forum to evaluate the progress and commitments made by governor’s wives in advancing the nutrition agenda.
Governors’ Wives at the maiden Women in Power Conference for Nutrition
  • Media Engagement: Leveraging the power of media, CS-SUNN organized media roundtable sessions to raise awareness, secure media support, and promote discussion on policy actions required on women and girls’ nutrition. The events garnered extensive coverage across prominent media, amplifying the discourse on this critical issue. With series of social media campaigns like; Women and Girl’s Nutrition: Why it Matters, gender equity in accessing public economic empowerment schemes, alongside the importance of girl-child education beyond basic schooling, CS-SUNN elevated awareness and advocacies for empowering women. Collaborating with partners such as Bridge Connect, wcyheIN, and Womenadvocate and leveraging visually appealing social cards and hashtags like #NutritionTuesday, #Nutri4Women, and #Nutri4Girls, trackable metrics underscored the campaigns’ impact, with significant reach and engagement rates observed across platforms.
Media roundtable hosted by CS-SUNN
  • Community Empowerment: Recognizing the importance of grassroots engagement, community town hall meetings were conducted to mobilize support from and empower local leaders. These interactions fostered commitments by community leaders to set up committees headed by cabinet members to sensitize households within their communities on the need to empower women and the girl child through access to quality education and livelihood support.

Looking Ahead

The Women and Girls’ Nutrition Project stands as a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and determination. Building on the momentum generated, the project will drive lasting change by: addressing cultural barriers through community involvement; educating mothers on the importance of girl-child education; introducing media study circles to deepen media coverage on women’s nutrition; and shifting an advocacy focus to implementation, ensuring that advocacy efforts translate into tangible policy changes and action.

Through concerted efforts and unwavering commitment, we move closer to a future where every woman and girl in Nigeria has the opportunity to thrive and to contribute to a healthier, more prosperous nation.

1,000 Days Statement on FY24 Minibus

Washington, D.C., March 25, 2024 –  Last Friday, Congress passed a fiscal year (FY) 2024 minibus spending bill, which includes funding for some key U.S. foreign assistance accounts that combat malnutrition. We applaud the passage of this bipartisan bill, while recognizing there is still work to be done to ensure all families have a happy and healthy first 1,000 days.

1,000 Days was grateful to see a modest increase to the Nutrition Account, but was dismayed that overall State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs funding levels fell short of FY23 levels. For the first time in history, annual deaths of children under 5 have dropped below 5 million, a staggering decrease from 1990 when nearly 13 million children under 5 died each year. While we celebrate this incredible progress, now is not the time to take our foot off the gas. Globally, there is still 1 child death every 6 seconds and nearly 1 in 4 children worldwide has had their growth stunted by malnutrition. U.S. global leadership has reached families across the world with low-cost, quality, and effective health services and continued commitment is needed to end preventable maternal and child deaths.

“Malnutrition is still the greatest threat to child survival worldwide. U.S. investments support delivery of cost-effective, proven, life-saving services in countries around the world and maintaining that investment is crucial”

Solianna Meaza, Acting Initiative Director, 1,000 Days

We look forward to working with the Administration and colleagues in Congress to strengthen our FY25 appropriations with stronger global investments, including:

  • $300 million in the Global Nutrition Subaccount;
  • $1.15 billion for Maternal and Child Health, including $340 million for Gavi; and
  • New and additional funding to support the United States’ flagship food security program, Feed the Future.