Samera (7 months) is receiving treatment for severe acute malnutrition at a Save the Children mobile clinic in Afghanistan

Temor* is 12 years old and lives with his mother, Sonia* (36), two brothers and sister, Samera* (7 months) in a single room home built from mud in Faryab province, northern Afghanistan. Their community is very remote, and they don’t have access to clean water, a permanent health clinic or a school. Like most of the children in his community, Temor has never been to school. The nearest facilities are in the city and are very difficult to access as most people don’t have their own vehicles and cannot afford to hire a car or motorbike. The ongoing drought and the severe economic downturn in Afghanistan have greatly impacted on employment opportunities in the community, and many husbands, brothers and sons have left to find work in Iran. Sonia’s husband has also left and travelled to Iran. He has called Sonia once, but they haven’t heard from him since. Sonia also used to weave carpets, but now no one has the money buy them. Sonia and Temor’s situation is becoming increasingly desperate. Food prices have skyrocketed and with no income, Sonia cannot afford to buy food for her children. Samera is suffering from severe acute malnutrition, which can lead to illness, infections, stunting and is one of the biggest killers of children under five around the world. Samera weighs just 3.6kg. Her two-year-old brother Sultan* has also been impacted by malnutrition and still cannot walk. Save the Children’s support: Samera and Sultan are now receiving treatment for malnutrition at a Save the Children mobile clinic, which visits their community regularly. They have received a supply of therapeutic peanut paste, which provides malnourished children with essential vitamins, minerals and calories to help them survive and recover. They will be closely monitored and if Samera doesn’t improve, Save the Children will refer her to hospital for treatment and will support Sonia with transport and costs. Save the Children has expanded its programmes across Afghanistan since the crisis escalated in August 2021 to meet children’s growing needs. We have 66 Mobile Health Teams who provide primary, newborn and maternal healthcare, nutrition and mental health services, including treatment for malnutrition, and vital immunisation services to protect children from infection and disease. Sacha Myers / Save the Children

How rising conflict is contributing to the worst hunger crisis in decades

3 min read

16 Oct 2023 Global

Millions of children are facing the worst global food crisis in decades. Here’s how we can help children fight for their childhood.

Samera* (7 months) is receiving treatment for severe acute malnutrition at a Save the Children mobile clinic in Afghanistan. Sacha Myers / Save the Children.

The combination of conflict, economic instability and climate shocks have created the worst global food crisis in decades.

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Hunger not only devours children’s dreams, it threatens their survival. Without enough food or the right nutrition, children can’t learn, play, or grow. They should be exploring with their friends or expanding their minds in class. Instead, too many are worrying about where their next meal will come from.

Escalating conflict, war and violence across the globe are key contributing factors to this crisis.

How does conflict cause hunger?

Damaged infrastructure, livelihoods and displacement leave millions facing food shortages in conflict, while in some of the worst cases, starvation is used as a method of warfare.

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A rising tide of conflict – from Ukraine to Mali – is forcing families from their homes, destroying farmland and creating tens of millions of refugees who struggle to get the food they need.

The recent escalation in hostilities witnessed in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and Israel will push more families into food insecurity and put children’s health and wellbeing at severe risk. The latest data shows 1 in 3 people across occupied Palestine territory are facing severe levels of food insecurity. The conflict will likely worsen the hunger situation for many families and children across the region.

Many children are surviving bombs and bullets, only to face the threat of hunger.

What are we doing?

Conflicts are often complex, but feeding children isn’t.

Save the Children works in 116 countries. This means that with the help of local partners, we can deliver lifesaving nutrition programming and long-term livelihood support on a truly global scale. We have the knowledge, network and staff to stop hunger in its tracks, but you have the power to make it happen.

Donate to our Children’s Emergency Fund to help tackle the root causes of hunger and deliver lifesaving interventions to children across the world.

Jok*, 12, and his best friend Kuol*, 10, walking through their village in Akobo West, South Sudan. Esther Mbabazi / Save the Children. Esther Mbabazi / Save the Children

We have four key steps when it comes to addressing food security:

Step 1: Save the Children completes a food security analysis to forecast food availability and predict the impact of climate, economic or conflict shocks like El Niño or the conflict in Ukraine.

Step 2: Anticipatory Action means we work with local communities to identify risks and then mitigate them. This reduces the impact, reduces the cost and most importantly, saves lives.
Step 3: When hunger strikes, we are there to screen children for malnutrition, treat them with therapeutic nut pastes, provide medicines and medical care when cases have become complex, complete follow-up assessments for six months, give families food kits and provide families with cash so they can access food and other essential items.
Step 4: Then we go beyond food. We believe in long-term, sustainable solutions to food insecurity. To do this we combine local knowledge of pastoralism, agriculture and the local economy, with our expertise in health, nutrition, forecasting and anticipatory action to provide sustainable solutions to food security and hunger.
All the time: We are working with local communities, international, national and local organisations and governments to stamp out inequality and food insecurity through our policy and advocacy work.