Save the Children (SCI) said it plans to launch a $769 million campaign to tackle acute and severe malnutrition among 15.7 million people including 9.4 million children in 37 countries.
Analysts have described malnutrition as the biggest threat to child survival globally.
A statement by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Save the Children, Ms. Inger Ashing in Abuja said 2021 can be better, or far worse, than 2020 for children depending on the commitment of stakeholders to protect children against violence.
She said there was no excuse for children to go hungry, forced to work or denied their right to education.
“We are particularly worried about the numbers of children at risk of acute and severe malnutrition if we fail to act now.
“We can’t ignore the clear warning signs of dangerous food shortages and a risk of famine in many countries, including Yemen, DRC, South Sudan, and parts of Nigeria.
“Even before the pandemic, children were facing a triple-threat to their rights from conflict, climate change and hunger. If we delay action, we risk losing thousands – potentially tens of thousands – of children from entirely preventable causes. We cannot let that happen.
She warned that 60 million children across eight of the biggest humanitarian crises need help to survive this year.
She called for a concerted and immediate global response to ensure the setbacks experienced in 2021 do not permanently impact an entire generation for years to come.
“COVID-19 has put decades of progress for the world’s most vulnerable children at risk. Weak health systems were impacted as children saw their parents or teachers being taken away to hospitals with the virus.
“Children went hungry as families were plunged into poverty because breadwinners lost their income.
“The education of more than 300 million pupils is affected by the pandemic as many schools had to close to curb the virus, increasing the risk of child abuse, exploitation, child marriage or children dropping out of school permanently.
“According to the UN, more than 235 million people – an estimated half of them children – will need some form of humanitarian assistance this year, up from 170 million in 2020. That’s a dramatic 40 percent increase in less than a year.
“Of the roughly 117.7 million children who need life-saving support in 2021, more than half (60 million) live in just eight countries, with Yemen, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo accounting for more than 10 million children each,” she said.
