Donors pledged an unprecedented $280 million for malnutrition treatment at an event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, more than doubling financial commitments made in July to increase access to ready-to-use-therapeutic food, or RUTF, as famine looms in multiple countries.
Globally, less than a quarter of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition — or wasting — receive access to treatment in the form of RUTFs, a highly nutritious paste that provides enough calories to help restore a starving child to a healthy weight. A full course of treatment costs just over $100.
The event, co-hosted by the U.S. Agency for International Development, UNICEF, the Government of Senegal, and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, garnered pledges from the governments of Canada, which pledged $56 million, Ireland with $50 million, and the Netherlands, with $47 million. Another $126.78 million was raised from philanthropies, including $40 million from the CIFF, $35 million from the Dangote Foundation, and $20.5 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
UNICEF will use the money for early prevention, detection, and treatment of child wasting.
“We wouldn’t let our own children starve to death, so why would we let other children starve to death? At what cost?”
— Chris Hohn, co-founder and chair, Children’s Investment Fund FoundationThe event follows a $200 million commitment from USAID and $50 million from private philanthropy made in July. USAID Administrator Samantha Power challenged other donors to match those funds with another $250 million by high-level week at the General Assembly.
“And in the intervening days, I will confess to you, I was not sure that issuing that challenge was my best idea. And it was a very ambitious target and the timeline was very tight,” Power told a packed room at UNICEF headquarters. But she said that donors “answered our call with more funding than we could have ever expected.”
When Power announced that the $250 million match had not only been met but exceeded, there were audible gasps in the room.
Children with acute malnutrition are twice more likely to die than a child of a healthy weight, while those with the more severe form are nearly 12 times more likely to die. Because most children who need treatment for severe acute malnutrition do not live in humanitarian settings with humanitarian aid infrastructure and attention, they are more difficult to reach.
Power said USAID was working to change that.
“With more funding, better delivery systems, and improved access to health care, we can empower communities to save their children’s lives,” Power said.
CIFF co-founder and chair Chris Hohn said that the need and giving on child malnutrition are “so mismatched” and accused the world of “failing millions of children.”
“We wouldn’t let our own children starve to death, so why would we let other children starve to death? At what cost? The product itself is under $50 for a course [of] over a month, which saves a life and maximum usually of $50 distribution costs. So $100 to save a life. There’s no excuse,” Hohn said. “We haven’t moved at the scale or pace needed. We also need to tackle prevention because one of the excuses used is this is a … never-ending black hole and there’s no solution. But that’s not true.”
Members of nutrition advocacy groups who were present for the announcement were visibly excited by the pledges made. Blythe Thomas, initiative director at 1,000 Days, said she was “thrilled and surprised” by the amount of money raised.
“It really blew me away,” Thomas said. “This has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of children. And not just save them but put them on the right path.”
Notably absent from the pledges announced Wednesday was the United Kingdom, which did take the stage but referenced previous money announced. Simon Bishop, CEO at Power of Nutrition, said that while the money raised was “incredible,” it was “indefensible” that the U.K. declined to pledge new funds to fight child malnutrition on the same day the country also declined to make an announcement at the Global Fund replenishment.
“It's pretty much from hero — we used to be global leaders — to close to zero,” Bishop said. “To make no commitment for the Global Fund replenishment and on this, it’s shocking.”
About the author
Teresa Welshtmawelsh
Teresa Welsh is a Senior Reporter at Devex. She has reported from more than 10 countries and is currently based in Washington, D.C. Her coverage focuses on Latin America; U.S. foreign assistance policy; fragile states; food systems and nutrition; and refugees and migration. Prior to joining Devex, Teresa worked at McClatchy's Washington Bureau and covered foreign affairs for U.S. News and World Report. She was a reporter in Colombia, where she previously lived teaching English. Teresa earned bachelor of arts degrees in journalism and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin.
