By the end of this year, around 1.5 million children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will have been born into hunger.
Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images
- About 1.5 million children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be born into hunger by the end of this year.
- There has been a 20% increase in the number of undernourished births globally compared to 10 years ago.
- Children as young as nine are tasked with begging for food for their families.
About 1.5 million children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will be born into hunger by the end of this year, while an estimated 6.6 million children under the age of five will be undernourished, a new report by Save The Children shows.
According to the report, there had been a 20% increase in the number of undernourished births globally compared to 10 years ago.
Africa and Asia shared 95% of the world’s undernourished births in 2023 due to economic instability, conflicts, and climate shocks.
The biggest increase was noted in the DRC, which continues to be a textbook case for African problems.
“About 1.5 million newborns are projected to be born into the grips of hunger in the DRC – the highest number recorded for the country since FAO [Food Agriculture Organisation] records began in 2001.
“Projections indicate that in 2023, an estimated 6.6 million children under the age of five will be undernourished in the DRC,” the report stated.
READ | In DR Congo camps women face stark choice: hunger or rape
A 33-year-old Congolese woman interviewed by Save The Children told of her biggest fears, having lost three babies to hunger.
Her fourth child could face a similar situation.
She said:
I keep thinking: ‘Will I ever see my children grow and will ever have enough food for them’? I’m scared of waking up every day to find my baby gone.
The global head of health and nutrition at Save the Children, Hannah Stephenson, added in a statement for every minute, 33 children were born into hunger.
“More than 17 million newborns will this year enter a world where hunger will eat away at their childhood.
“That’s 33 children a minute – about the size of a classroom in the US or the UK.
“Hunger will destroy their dreams, silence their play, disrupt their education, and threaten their lives,” Stephenson said.
The DRC is a constant feature on the list of the most underfunded crises.
Last year, it received less than US$1 per week per individual in need.
At least 17.6M children will be born into hunger this year – 33 children a minute??This is a 22% jump from a decade ago. But hunger isn’t a lost cause.On #WorldChildrensDay we call on leaders at the Global Food Security Summit to address the root causes of food insecurity. pic.twitter.com/7X32RfxhO1
— Save the Children International (@save_children) November 20, 2023
For the Congolese woman interviewed by Save The Children, sending her nine-year-old child to beg for food for the family was the only immediate alternative.
“Since giving birth three months ago, I have been struggling to feed my infant. I know I should eat more, but what little we have I give to my nine-year-old daughter.
“She already begs for food every day and sleeps hungry, so I try to give her something.
“I know it’s dangerous sending her out there, but we have no other option; she needs to eat,” she said.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation
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Source link : https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/over-66-million-children-undernourished-in-drc-number-is-growing-fast-report-20231121
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Publish date : 2023-11-21 19:17:45
