'Bribing' Mums To Feed Their Kids

Peru formerly had one of the highest rates of stunting in South America, with chronic malnutrition affecting more than 1 in 4 children under five. Thanks to results-based budgeting and a government-wide commitment to fighting child poverty, the country has halved that rate, improving the long-term health and cognitive development of its youngest citizens.

"Healthy Mama, Healthy Pikin" is a youth-led nutrition program in Ebonyi State, Nigeria that layers nutrition education into routine immunization days at primary health care facilities. The program teaches parents how to enrich diets with local, affordable ingredients, distributes vegetable seeds for backyard gardens, and trains health workers to provide ongoing nutrition counseling, all in an effort to prevent child malnutrition. Since launching in November 2024, the program has reached over 300 parents and established backyard gardens in more than 100 households.

Providing mothers with access to health education during and after pregnancy helps reduce child mortality. In Nigeria, the Mamacare program teaches pregnant women about nutrition, hygiene, and infant health at clinics across Lagos State. The program, which is affiliated with WellBeing Foundation Africa, uses a network of midwives, who share experiences, teach lessons, and encourage the women to give birth at clinics.

A pilot program in Hamilton, Ontario tests the viability of a universal basic income. While bureaucratic red tape and critics from both political sides limit the enrollment in the program, citizens partaking in the pilot note that support in the form of cash keep them healthy and able to avoid living in poverty.

Leaders in North Carolina’s Transylvania County are investing in home-based childcare by creating a network of caregivers and providing them with financial and technical assistance. The program gives parents affordable options in a rural community where it can be hard to find openings at childcare facilities.

Grain banks allow community members in need to access food grain by buying into a bank-like system. The grain bank system helps communities work together to feed themselves and gain more control of their well-being and livelihoods.

To address community malnutrition, 22 mothers began a savings and credit cooperative, which has since grown to 59 members. An elected committee looks for the most nutritionally vulnerable members, who are eligible for a small interest-free loan to improve the nutrition of their families. The women pay a membership fee and when loans are repaid, the cooperative gets a small percentage of the profits, which can be paid in installments until the whole amount is repaid. The group’s savings has also helped them buy animals that provide nutritious food products and organic fertilizers for their crops.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated hunger and malnutrition of vulnerable children by crippling livelihoods and orphaning children. Two communities have responded by donating land solely devoted to growing crops to tackle hunger and malnutrition in orphans and vulnerable children. Aside from giving crops directly to families to feed children, the volunteers who work the land also sell part of each harvest to raise money for other nutritious food for the children. Part of the crops are also used to make a nutrition powder that helps ensure children are receiving the nutrients they need.

FHI360 is an initiative, supported by grassroots and international partnerships, providing healthcare to Internally Displaced Peoples in four locations. The nourishment of pregnant and lactating mothers, as well as their children, is a main focus. The group disseminates information and provides nutrition counseling in both one-on-one and community support group settings. They also offer vitamins and micronutrient supplements to women and children and create safe breastfeeding spaces and safe spaces for women who have been victims of gender-based violence.

A no-cost meal program allows high-poverty schools to offer all enrolled students free lunch, which consequently addresses child nutrition problems and meal debt. The program, however, has pivoted and expanded during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure that schools can still act as a food distribution hub.