Children's health threatened while fewer resources will be available for education

Across the globe soaring food prices - the highest since the mid-1970s - are forcing more and more of the world's poor children to go hungry. This crisis raises the real possibility that recent gains in reducing child mortality in many developing countries could be reversed and fewer resources will be available to educate children and improve their health care.

In Tajikistan the price of some basic foodstuffs such as cabbage, oil and bread has risen by 200%. In Egypt, where 40% of the population lives on less than $2 a day, the price of bread has jumped from 36 cents to 55 cents per kg, while that of rice rose from $2.90 to $5.23. In Uganda, flour prices have increased by 50%. Higher prices mean families - especially poor families - are faced with difficult decisions regarding the quantity and nutritional value of the food they buy. 

Young children, especially those under the age of 2, are most vulnerable to the impacts of prolonged hunger - which can not only result in weight loss, but makes children more susceptible to illness. In the long term, hunger and under-nutrition result in permanent negative effects on physical and cognitive growth, from which children never recover.

"An average American family spends 9.9% of its income on food, but a family in Mali spends a much greater percentage of its income on food -- from 50% to 80%.It is clear that in these countries the effects of higher prices have a stronger impact on the daily lives of family members, " says Valerio Neri, CEO of Save the Children Italy.

In addition to an increase in diseases due to a very poor diet, the effects of the food crisis will also decrease school attendance. Not only will families be less able to pay fees or buy books, but children suffering from hunger will be less able to concentrate.

In addition, to increase the family income, children could be forced to quit school and work or beg, and in the most extreme cases engage in alternative activities, such as prostitution, to generate income.

"Save the Children recommends preventive actions," continues Valerio Neri, " in order to create social safety nets, which could provide food or money. At the same time, we recommend increasing efforts to distribute locally appropriate interventions in health, education and protection. Moreover, it seems particularly important to support local farmers to prepare for the next season and to support small-holders to increase their productivity so that they can obtain an outlet in the markets in the short or long term."

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Media Contact: Save the Children Italy's Press office; +39 06 48070071 -23; press@savethechildren.it