Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.
Profile image
By Human Wrongs Watch
Contributor profile | More stories
Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

Cutting Children’s Lifelines

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.


Human Wrongs Watch

By UNICEF* Decades of progress on tackling malnutrition are under threat from funding cuts.

.

Yemen. A mother holds her young daughter as she awaits health screenings and vaccinations at a mobile clinic.

 

UNICEF/UNI428897/UNICEF/YPN

Malnutrition is deadly. A child suffering from severe acute malnutrition is nine times more likely to die than a well-nourished child.

But the dire consequences of malnutrition aren’t always immediate or visible from the outside.

Poor diets also inflict devastating damage on the inside, stunting children’s growth, impairing their brain development and leaving them susceptible to disease.  


Since 2000, the number of stunted children under the age of five has fallen by 55 million. Millions more severely malnourished children have been saved. This has been possible because of a shared commitment and sustained investment.  

But massive funding cuts for international aid are having an immediate and severe impact on children’s survival, undermining these gains.

The unprecedented scale and speed of these cuts is disrupting critical services and putting millions of lives at risk. 

On nutrition alone, UNICEF has estimated at least 14 million children could have their access to essential nutrition support disrupted. 

Here’s what cuts could mean for Rohingya refugees and children in Sudan and Yemen – and what UNICEF can deliver with the right funding.

Yemen

Cuts to funding could mean that a child such as Sanad might not receive the support needed to recover from severe acute malnutrition. 

 

UNICEF/UNI708243/Noman

Sanad had severe acute malnutrition when he was only 4 months old. 

But with the care he received from his family and at a UNICEF-supported therapeutic feeding centre, he was able to recover.

Children suffering from severe acute malnutrition – the most immediate, visible and life-threatening form of malnutrition – are too thin and their immune systems are weak, leaving them vulnerable to developmental delays, disease and death. 

Without the funds it needs, UNICEF also can’t support training for community health volunteers such as Arzaq.

 

UNICEF/UNI532616/UNICEF/YPN

Volunteers like Arzaq help increase awareness of malnutrition and also explain the importance of vaccinations and best hygiene practice in local communities.

Time and again, donor support has saved lives in Yemen, alleviated suffering, and protected the most vulnerable. But the country continues to face multiple overlapping crises that are driving food insecurity there, meaning solidarity is more critical than ever. 

Cox’s Bazar, southern Bangladesh

More than a million Rohingya refugees – including more than 500,000 children – live in the world’s largest refugee settlement.

There, families are facing emergency levels of malnutrition. 

As needs keep rising and funding declines, families have told UNICEF that they are terrified of what will happen to their babies if there are further food ration cuts and if life-saving nutrition treatment services stop.

 

UNICEF/UNI622117/Njiokiktjien

Nutrition services in the camps support children including Noor, who was referred to one of the dozens of integrated nutrition facilities supported by UNICEF. The facilities provide regular check-ups.

Rohingya families can’t yet safely return home, but they have no legal right to work, so sustained humanitarian support isn’t optional – it’s essential for their survival. UNICEF is determined to stay and deliver for children in Cox’s Bazar, but without guaranteed funding, critical services will be at risk. 

Sudan

More than two years of conflict have sent malnutrition rates soaring.

The five Darfur states, for example, saw an almost 50 per cent surge in the number of children being treated for severe acute malnutrition between January and May 2025 compared with a year earlier. 

But even as the needs grow, UNICEF’s work in Sudan faces extreme challenges from funding cuts.

By the end of June 2025, 62 per cent of UNICEF’s humanitarian funding requirements remained unmet, while recent cuts have also forced many of UNICEF’s vital partners to scale back their work.  

Sudan. A woman holds an iron tablet during a UNICEF-supported door-to-door nutrition campaign in Aroma locality, Kassala state.

 

UNICEF/UNI707437/Rajab

Funding for UNICEF’s work in Sudan supports a range of services, from screening children for severe acute malnutrition to preventative services such as providing pregnant women with iron-folic acid supplements to help prevent maternal anaemia – essential for the health of mothers and their babies.

Funding also supports training for mothers such as Muzdalifa, in Kassala state, as part of the Mother Support Groups initiative. 

 

UNICEF/UNI526515/Elfatih

Under the initiative, mothers receive training around proper feeding practices and utilizing readily available food sources, knowledge that they then share with other parents in the community.

“Until I see zero malnourished children, I will not stop,” Muzdalifa says.

The funding crisis comes at a time of unprecedented need for children who continue to face record levels of displacement, new and protracted conflicts, disease outbreaks, and the deadly consequences of climate change – all of which are undermining their access to adequate nutrition. 

With the right funding, UNICEF is able to:

  • Provide life-saving treatment, including procuring and distributing ready-to-use therapeutic food.
  • Promote optimal feeding practices, including advocating for and supporting breastfeeding and providing nutrition counseling for mothers and caregivers.
  • Strengthen nutrition systems, including training health workers, supplying screening tools like MUAC tapes, and supporting routine primary healthcare to ensure early detection and treatment of malnutrition.
  • Build resilient systems to monitor and anticipate potential nutrition emergencies, allowing us to sound the alarm before it’s too late.
  • Address the root causes of malnutrition, including working to improve access to nutritious food and safe water, and supporting social protection programmes, like cash transfers, to help vulnerable families afford food and other necessities.
  • Invest in access, including strengthening supply chains, to ensure supplies and services can get where they need to go, even to the hardest-to-reach children and families.

UNICEF is therefore calling on governments and donors to prioritize investments in health and nutrition programmes for children and is urging national governments to allocate more funding to domestic nutrition and health services. 

Good nutrition is the foundation of child survival and development, with impressive returns on investment. Good nutrition means stronger families, societies and countries, and ultimately a more stable world. 

 


Source: https://human-wrongs-watch.net/2025/09/02/cutting-childrens-lifelines/


Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.

"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world. Anyone can join. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can become informed about their world. "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.


LION'S MANE PRODUCT


Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules


Mushrooms are having a moment. One fabulous fungus in particular, lion’s mane, may help improve memory, depression and anxiety symptoms. They are also an excellent source of nutrients that show promise as a therapy for dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. If you’re living with anxiety or depression, you may be curious about all the therapy options out there — including the natural ones.Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend has been formulated to utilize the potency of Lion’s mane but also include the benefits of four other Highly Beneficial Mushrooms. Synergistically, they work together to Build your health through improving cognitive function and immunity regardless of your age. Our Nootropic not only improves your Cognitive Function and Activates your Immune System, but it benefits growth of Essential Gut Flora, further enhancing your Vitality.



Our Formula includes: Lion’s Mane Mushrooms which Increase Brain Power through nerve growth, lessen anxiety, reduce depression, and improve concentration. Its an excellent adaptogen, promotes sleep and improves immunity. Shiitake Mushrooms which Fight cancer cells and infectious disease, boost the immune system, promotes brain function, and serves as a source of B vitamins. Maitake Mushrooms which regulate blood sugar levels of diabetics, reduce hypertension and boosts the immune system. Reishi Mushrooms which Fight inflammation, liver disease, fatigue, tumor growth and cancer. They Improve skin disorders and soothes digestive problems, stomach ulcers and leaky gut syndrome. Chaga Mushrooms which have anti-aging effects, boost immune function, improve stamina and athletic performance, even act as a natural aphrodisiac, fighting diabetes and improving liver function. Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules Today. Be 100% Satisfied or Receive a Full Money Back Guarantee. Order Yours Today by Following This Link.


Report abuse

Comments

Your Comments
Question   Razz  Sad   Evil  Exclaim  Smile  Redface  Biggrin  Surprised  Eek   Confused   Cool  LOL   Mad   Twisted  Rolleyes   Wink  Idea  Arrow  Neutral  Cry   Mr. Green

MOST RECENT
Load more ...

SignUp

Login

Newsletter

Email this story
Email this story

If you really want to ban this commenter, please write down the reason:

If you really want to disable all recommended stories, click on OK button. After that, you will be redirect to your options page.