Child hunger is the biggest scandal of our time. More than 2 million children die every year because they can't get enough food to eat. Millions more face a life of lost potential and pain.
How does hunger affect children?
If a child doesn't get the right kind of food in their first 1,000 days of life, their brain and body don't develop normally. A child affected by malnutrition is often inches shorter than a child who's had enough of the right kind of food. Their immune system is weaker, leaving them more vulnerable to disease.
The damage is irreversible. That child will never learn, nor earn, as much as he or she could have if properly nourished in early life.
A child needs nourishing food to develop, as much as they need clean water and education.
About 180 million children under the age of five suffer from stunting and are not reaching their potential.
It shouldn't be like this.
The world has enough food for every child, yet not every child has enough food to live. This is unfair, unjust and what's more – it's preventable.
This year, we're joining forces with over 150 charities to campaign for a fairer food system. We're asking the UK Government to take action so that children don't have to wake up hungry.
Together, we can make 2013 the beginning of the end of world hunger.
