Health & Nutrition
Every child deserves to live and be healthy. However, around the world, children are dying before they live, mothers are dying in childbirth, and outbreaks of disease are devastating communities.
In 2019, 5.2 million children under the age of 5 died, mostly from preventable and treatable causes like pre and full-term birth complications, diarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria, all of which can be prevented or treated, with access to basic healthcare, clean water, food and proper nutrition1.
Malnutrition plays a role in nearly half of all deaths among children under five – amounting to 3.1 million each year1. The severity of malnutrition cannot be underplayed as it can cause permanent and extensive damage to a child's growth, development as well as well-being.
1 WHO 2020
Key Challenges
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Lack of Access to Healthcare Services The sick walk long distances to access local health posts, which are often poorly maintained and lack proper medical equipment. In addition, health workers are not trained to treat patients. |
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Lack of Basic Health and Nutrition Knowledge Parents and primary caregivers are unaware of the preventive measures, symptoms and cures for common childhood illnesses. Left untreated, these can become life-threatening. Mothers and mothers-to-be also lack knowledge on proper pre and postnatal care, and may not know children need balanced diets. |
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Gender Discrimination Maternal health gets minimal attention simply because it concerns powerless and voiceless women. A staggering 94% of maternal deaths during childbirth occur in low and lower middle-income countries2. There are also many cases of early marriage, and young girls, whose bodies have not fully matured, are at high risk of health and birth complications. |
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Economic Poverty Families in rural areas depend heavily on agriculture and livestock for income. Many struggle to provide enough food, let alone balanced diets for their children consistently through the year. |
2 WHO, 2019
World Vision’s Work in Health & Nutrition
Improving child health is a critical part of our work. The two major milestones are a child's first 1,000 days and the first five years. Once children reach the age of five, their chances of survival increase dramatically.
We focus on three essential ways to improve health and reduce mortality:
Good Nutrition and Food Security
- World Vision’s efforts to support communities in securing a stable supply of nutritious food forms the cornerstone of our work. In every community we work in, we are committed to helping poor and needy children and families fight hunger and achieve food security.
Protection from Infection and Disease
- Malaria remains a major threat. Every two minutes, a child dies of Malaria. By raising awareness of Malaria and other kinds of infections and diseases, like COVID-19 and Ebola, appropriate prevention and treatment measures can be taken and many preventable deaths can be averted.
Access to Essential Health Services
- Train health workers to provide emergency front-line care and first aid.
- Provide essential medical equipment for health posts and hospitals.
- Provide mothers and mothers-to-be with pre and postnatal care.
- Build or rehabilitate health posts and hospitals.
Nutritional Meal Support Programme
"Our preschool children were malnourished as their parents did not have much income to provide nutritional meals for their children. But now, with the help of World Vision, children are receiving nutritional meals every day. They are happy and healthy," says Kamaladevi, 28.
Life, is nothing without good health. Help us give children a healthy head start in life.
