Hunger and malnutrition: Our helping hand

A healthy diet lays the foundation for a healthy, active life - right from the start. If mothers are able to provide themselves and their babies with a sufficient and balanced nutrition, they and their child have the best prospects for birth, recovery after birth and, above all, for healthy development in the long term - with positive consequences for both individuals and society.

Yet global hunger is still one of the greatest challenges facing the global community. 735 million people suffered from hunger worldwide in 2022, according to the UN report "Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023." Another report (Global Report on Food Crises 2023, GRFC), which focuses on the 58 countries acutely struggling with hunger crises, comes to similarly frightening conclusions: In 2022 alone, over 258 million people in 58 countries or regions of the world suffered from acute food insecurity (IPC/CH Phase 3 or higher - more info below), with devastating consequences. Especially the people in several countries in Asia, Africa as well as Latin America are affected by acute food and water shortages.

A direct comparison with the previous year shows the growing hardship of the people: according to the GRFC report, around 193 million people were affected by a hunger crisis in 2021. The drastic increase of 34 percent (65 million people) is due to various causes such as conflicts, economic crises or weather extremes. Last but not least, the consequences of climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian war against Ukraine caused a deterioration in the living conditions of many people who were already in critical situations before. 

Ending hunger and malnutrition is a key goal of the international community demanded by Goal 2 of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Malteser International's commitment to ending hunger, malnutrition and famine is therefore even more important. In our project countries, we work together with local people to achieve sustainable food security. To reach this and to improve the living conditions of people holistically and in the long term, we combine our measures for better and sufficient nutrition with components from the areas of health as well as water, sanitation and hygiene.

The term hunger is used colloquially to refer to various forms of undernutrition. Nutrition experts, however, make a more specific distinction and define three types of undernutrition:

• Acute hunger, known as acute malnutrition or wasting among experts, is the most extreme form of malnutrition. It occurs over a limited period of time - usually as a direct result of natural disasters or wars. The identification of acute malnutrition is subject to specific criteria, each of which is measured in children between the ages of six months and five years. This is because children in these age groups are considered particularly vulnerable, which is why information on the health status of the youngest can be considered a reflection of society as a whole. Acute malnutrition is measured by the ratio of weight to height: Children whose body weight is less than 80% of their age-appropriate weight are considered acutely malnourished. If the children's weight is less than 70%, they are acutely malnourished.
• Experts refer to chronic malnutrition or stunting as a permanent state of undernourishment in which those affected lack vital nutrients. This form of malnutrition is the most widespread worldwide. Poverty is considered a frequent cause of chronic malnutrition: the people affected do not have sufficient resources for a healthy diet and no secure access to clean water or healthcare.
• The term "hidden hunger" is used colloquially when an unbalanced diet results in a micronutrient deficiency. Vitamins, minerals and trace elements such as iron, iodine or vitamin A are essential for a healthy development. People who do not absorb enough of these micronutrients due to an unbalanced diet suffer from what is known as "hidden hunger," even if they eat a lot of calories.

The United Nations Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) provides a uniform scale that can be used to show the severity and extent of food insecurity and acute malnutrition in a transparent and comparable way. The IPC scale is used in 30 countries and divides the consequences of food shortages into five levels.

The causes of hunger and malnutrition are globally diverse: Poverty, natural disasters, climate change as well as wars and armed conflicts present some of the causes of hunger worldwide. Less developed countries and crises regions are particularly affected.

The number of people suffering from level 3 hunger or higher is spread across 58 countries/regions, according to the GRFC. The ten most affected countries include mainly areas in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Often, these are so-called forgotten crises that are barely covered by the media. But in Ukraine, too, many people are affected by acute food insecurity due to the war.

The following table shows that hunger in Africa is a huge: Four out of the top ten countries affected by hunger are in Africa. The Democratic Republic of Congo is home to 22,6 million people that suffer from level 3 hunger as defined by the IPC. Another 3,8 million people are classified as level 4 on the IPC scale and are therefore in an emergency situation. 23.6 million people in Ethiopia are in the moderate and severe acute food insecurity range on the Cadre Harmonisé (CH) scale. The Cadre Harmonisé is a tool that contributes to a unified and transparent analysis of the current food situation while helping to make meaningful projections. The CH classifies the severity of food insecurity in a manner similar to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).