Malnutrition and the 1,000-Day Window of Opportunity
When Mairam Cissé’s 9-month-old daughter, Amy, was diagnosed as severely malnourished, she was?devastated.
“I thought my world was going to fall apart,” Mairam shared. “She was so weak, had no appetite. … She was crying for nothing. My husband and I had lost all hope of saving her.”
Malnutrition such as this is a global threat that can affect anyone, but young children like Amy — those in the first 1,000 days of life, when development is happening at a rapid pace — are especially vulnerable to its harsh effects.
As defined by the?World Health Organization, malnutrition is a condition caused by deficiency, excess or imbalance of calories or nutrients in a person’s diet. Malnutrition is especially damaging in children and can lead to chronic health conditions and permanently affect a child’s quality of life.
Globally,?45 million children?under 5 suffer from wasting and around?149 million?are affected by stunting. Every year, undernutrition claims the lives of more than?3 million children?before they turn 5.
The largest window of opportunity to lay the foundation for good health and well-being is in the first 1,000 days of life, from conception to a child’s second birthday.
Inadequate nourishment during pregnancy, infancy and toddlerhood can cause profound and often irreversible damage to children’s physical and mental growth, permanently impairing their bodily health,?ability to learn?and likelihood of having strong economic prospects in the future.
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While malnutrition is caused by densely rooted issues including food insecurity, inadequate health care, and poor hygiene and sanitation, poverty remains the primary determinant, especially in poorer and developing countries.
For?smallholder farmers?like Mairam, who rely on growing crops to earn income, poverty can also make it impossible to build farms that generate adequate profits.
“My biggest struggle is to ensure that my family has enough quality food because the means are not enough.”?- Mairam
For Mairam and millions of others who chronically cannot afford the food they need, the link between poverty and malnutrition is not linear, with a definitive start and finish. It’s cyclical — and crippling.
Heifer International is working with mothers and families around the world to put nutritious food on their plates, overcome generational poverty and malnutrition and, instead, pass on the wealth of good health to their children.
Globally, we’re partnering with nearly 1 million smallholder farmers to build dignified livelihoods that earn a Sustainable Living Income. We also help farmers establish?kitchen gardens?and provide resources so farmers can?improve the productivity of their animals?and provide nutrient-dense animal-sourced foods, like milk and eggs, for their families’ consumption.
This work is enhanced in many cases by nutrition training, which helps people understand the nutritional value of the foods that are available in their communities and make informed choices on what to purchase, raise or plant.
The training also tackles cultural norms that contribute to hunger and malnutrition, such as unequal food distribution among family members, to ensure a safe, healthy and nurturing environment for mothers and their children — for the first 1,000 days and beyond.
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