Survival and Development of Children

The cause:

Health and Food Security

The facts:

• Globally, girls are three times more likely to suffer from malnutrition than boys.
• Hunger and malnutrition rates in Guatemala are the fourth highest in the world.
• Nearly half of all children under five years of age are chronically undernourished.

The project:

Good nutrition for both moms and babies makes a huge difference in the mental and physical health of children as they grow up. Poverty is a major obstacle to ensuring mothers and children get the nutrition they vitally need. Plan partnered with UNICEF to prevent food insecurity and provide nutrition education to 636 communities in Guatemala.

The details:

A successful food security project tackles the immediate nutritional needs of moms and babies while simultaneously helping communities become better at responding to food crises and avoiding food insecurity in the future.

Plan monitored the nutritional status of children under five years old in the project communities. Malnourished children were referred to local health services for treatment. A Children