Happy Thanksgiving from the Global Health Bureau at USAID!
USAID Bureau for Global Health sent this bulletin at 11/25/2015 10:02 AM EST
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On
Thanksgiving, families across America will celebrate another bountiful harvest
by sharing a dinner of turkey, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and more. However,
for families across the globe, a nutritious meal isn’t always an option.
Undernutrition contributes to 45 percent of under-5 deaths – that’s 2.6 million
child deaths each year. In
addition, malnutrition makes them far more susceptible to life-threatening
illnesses and can have permanent consequences, affecting both their physical
and cognitive development.
The U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID) recognizes that access to
nutritious foods and a diverse diet are important factors in reducing
malnutrition and ending preventable child and maternal deaths. That’s why we’re
committed to reducing chronic malnutrition, measured by stunting, by 20
percent. This translates into 2 million fewer stunted children in the world.
The USAID Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy guides USAID’s work in health,
agriculture, water and sanitation, and food assistance, working across sectors
to improve nutrition in 19 focus countries.