On World Food Day, World Vision launches global campaign to address child hunger and malnutrition

SEATTLE (October 16, 2023) — After decades of progress, global hunger is on the rise, as is the number of children whose lives and health are threatened by malnutrition. In response, Christian humanitarian organization World Vision has been working in 28 of the hardest-hit countries, aiming to reach 30 million people with life-saving aid as part of its response to the global hunger crisis. And today, on World Food Day, the organization announced the launch of another global campaign, this one specifically aimed at raising awareness, funds and advocacy efforts to help end child hunger and malnutrition.

The international aid organization is planning to invest $3.4 billion over three years into programming that will reduce hunger and improve the nutritional status of 125 million children in 67 countries where hunger is at its worst.

In 2022, nearly 258 million people were in “crisis” or higher levels of food insecurity, meaning their lives or livelihoods were in danger — up from 193 million in 2021. Over 30 million children suffer from wasting — the most visible and severe form of malnutrition, which can be life-threatening if not treated.

A number of factors have contributed to this crisis, including regional conflicts like the war in Ukraine, climate shocks and rising costs worldwide. But in addition, a shortfall in global funding has played a role, making it harder to ensure children are properly fed and nourished.

“Sadly, the world’s most vulnerable children are bearing the brunt of this growing crisis,” said Edgar Sandoval Sr., World Vision’s president and CEO. “I believe that God wants more for these children and is urgently calling us to save lives now.”

A recent global survey carried out by Ipsos on behalf of World Vision found that nearly half of adults surveyed in 16 countries, including the U.S., had worried about finding money to buy food in the last month, and 30% had experienced not knowing where their next meal was coming from.^[1]

World Vision is uniquely positioned to respond to the hunger crisis due to its presence in nearly 100 countries and its expertise in food security, nutrition and humanitarian programming. The organization is the U.N. World Food Programme’s largest partner in the delivery of food assistance.

In addition to emergency and development assistance, World Vision also provides micro-finance loans to people impacted by poverty through VisionFund International, its mission-driven micro-finance subsidiary.

World Vision is also advocating for legislation that helps to both curb hunger and address root causes. This week over 100 World Vision Advocates from around the country will be on Capitol Hill asking their congressional representatives to support a critical piece of legislation known as the Farm Bill. Specifically, some programs in the bill, like the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program, use U.S.–grown produce in school lunch programs to ensure children have at least one nutritious meal per day — for many their only meal that day. Other programs affected by the legislation include Food for Peace Title II programs, which tackle hunger at its roots by helping vulnerable communities learn to feed themselves and build resilient and sustainable food systems.

“Ending child hunger will take a massive effort on the part of individuals and governments alike, who will need to work together to raise financial resources and change policies,” Mr. Sandoval said. “But we must do all we can to urgently respond. I pray for more people to come alongside us to ensure that children grow up healthy and fulfill their God-given potential.”

About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, please visit worldvision.org or follow on X, formerly known as Twitter, @WorldVisionUSA.

^[1] These are the results of a 16-country survey conducted for World Vision by Ipsos. Ipsos interviewed an international sample of 14,131 adults in Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Malawi, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, South Korea, the U.K, and the U.S.