Over 9 million people die worldwide due to hunger, 5 million of which are children (WFP 2015).
Not only are many people hungry, a lot of people lack resources to get to clean water as well. I found this youtube video that really caught my attention. They have some children from third world countries read first world problems out loud. This really lets you realize how irrelevant some of our problems are. It shows you the lack of resources many people face. Clean water, something that is seen as a necessity in America, is a luxury in many other countries. | |
So how does being malnourished effect a child over time?
Malnutrition isn't usually a subject brought up in headlines or important topics like famine does, but not having the proper nutrients can be just as deadly. Hunger isn't just a stomach thing. It effects every part of the body, and these effects can last for a lifetime. For instance, a healthy brain uses 20 percent of the body's energy and that energy, and that energy comes from food. When a child is hungry the brain is starved. The result? Malnourished children fall behind in school because they can’t concentrate. Then, there is the heart. The heart pumps a steady supply of blood through the body. But the heart of a hungry child shrinks, so I t has to work extra hard to pump blood. Vital organs like the liver and kidneys filter out toxins and waste while the immune system fights out infections. When a child is malnourished dangerous toxins build up in the liver, kidneys fail, and a weakened immune system crumbles in the face of killer diseases.
Skin and bones are also affected by nutrition. Your skin is like armor shielding the body from infection. Healthy bones grow bigger and stronger as a child grows. But when a child is malnourished, their skin cracks allowing infections to get in. Their bones stop growing which is often why malnourished children are smaller for their age.
Skin and bones are also affected by nutrition. Your skin is like armor shielding the body from infection. Healthy bones grow bigger and stronger as a child grows. But when a child is malnourished, their skin cracks allowing infections to get in. Their bones stop growing which is often why malnourished children are smaller for their age.
https://www.wfp.org/
https://www.wfp.org/stories/8-must-see-videos-hunger-and-nutrition
https://www.wfp.org/stories/8-must-see-videos-hunger-and-nutrition