Malnutrition has continued to claim the lives of many children especially in the sub- Saharan region and ripping the full potential from almost one out of three children under the age 5 years in the Africa region. When children are malnourished, their brains are not supported to grow to their full potential and hence not given a good start to the race to life.
In recent years, most governments have joined the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement as they continue to appreciate the dire consequences of a malnourished community. Â However, the actions are slow, often fragmented and simply not enough because of limited investment in interventions. A recent nutrition budget commitment report in 9 African countries for example, revealed that the average budget commitment was only 0.45% of national budget. Thus the levels of malnutrition remain unacceptably high.
However, some governments are not giving up on the fight.  At the recently concluded Tokyo International conference for African development (TICAD), the Prime Minister of Japan, H.E. Shinzo Abe announced that in addition to the Japanese governmentâs commitment to continue funding Universal Health Coverage with a focus on nutrition Japan will host the Nutrition for growth (N4G) Summit 2020 at the event of the Olympics 2020.
The N4G summit will follow the legacy of the first N4G meeting held in London in 2013. At the event of the first N4G 110 stakeholders agreed to prevent at least 20 million children from being stunted before the end of 2020 and save at least 1.7 million lives by 2020. To achieve this, donors made new commitments of over $4 billion to tackle undernutrition between 2013 and 2020.
All smiles at the event of the TICAD (Left to right) Rachel Toku- Appiah the Nutrition Program Manager and Christine Muyama Nutrition Program Officer Graça Machel Trust
With the last of the commitments ending in 2020, new resources and action are urgently needed to continue the work started to ensure that we end all forms of malnutrition by 2030 as called for by the Sustainable Development Goals.
Next yearâs N4G event in Japan is therefore an opportunity where the SUN will continue to shine and usher hope for the millions of children whose dreams of a bright future will never be realised unless we end malnutrition.
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The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting childrenâs rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Childrenâs Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsâ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trustâs goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a motherâs health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childâs life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.