World Vision pledges €3.2bn to tackle rising child hunger and malnutrition 

World Vision Ireland has today announced that World Vision International will commit €3.2bn as part of ‘ENOUGH,’ its new global campaign that aims to tackle child hunger and malnutrition. 

World Vision Ireland CEO Gillian Barnett, said the international humanitarian and development agency will invest the funds over three years into work that will reduce hunger and improve the nutritional status of 125 million children in 67 countries where they are suffering most:  

“After more than 40 years of declining global rates of child deaths, there is now a disturbing spike in children dying from hunger and malnutrition. There are a number of factors causing devastating consequences for children, including the knock-on impacts from war in Ukraine and the increasing effects of the climate crisis. A €6.5 billion shortfall in global funding is also making it impossible to ensure that the most vulnerable children in the world are properly fed and nourished.”   

The organisation said today that its commitment comprises €1.1 billion in donations from private sources and in micro-finance loans given out to hungry families, plus €2 billion from institutional donors like governments and UN agencies who are investing in the organisation’s work. 

The ENOUGH campaign is World Vision’s latest contribution to sounding the alarm about the global hunger emergency. At a launch event in New York alongside the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings, World Vision’s leaders and child spokespeople will encourage governments, donors, UN agencies, civil society organisations, faith actors and others to collectively use our strength and resources to end child hunger and malnutrition once and for all. 

World Vision International President, Andrew Morley said international funding targets for nutrition and food security in humanitarian response plans in 2023 had raised less than a quarter of the funds needed. 

“This is a global emergency, devastating children’s lives in both humanitarian and developmental contexts. Yet we are simply moving too slowly to save millions on the brink of starvation and life-altering malnutrition. 

“Whilst it is estimated that 148 million children are affected by stunting and 45 million suffer stunting, shockingly we don’t actually know how many children are going hungry at national and global levels.” 

Mr Morley said millions of children were facing extreme hunger and crippling malnutrition because of an unequal food system disrupted by conflicts and by the climate crisis. 

“Preventing the deaths or stunting of the world’s most vulnerable children goes beyond emergency food delivery; this is a systemic failure, and it needs systemic solutions—every aspect of the food production and delivery chain needs addressing,” he said. 

The ENOUGH campaign will also include a drive to improve data collection systems at national and global levels so children can be reached with support and have their voices heard in shaping key policies and outcomes.  

Mr Morley said no single initiative alone can end hunger and malnutrition, as hunger exists in a world that produces more than enough food for everyone, and poor nutrition is about much more than the availability and quality of food. 

“Success will mean properly nourished children, thanks to the immediate provision of lifesaving food and nutrition needs; families becoming more resilient to crises in the future; and permanent changes in policy and practices that promote and provide healthy food.”

Speaking on the urgency of this issue, Gillian Barnett said:

“It’s vital we act now so that all the work that World Vision and other agencies have been engaged in over the years isn’t dramatically and irrefutably reversed.”