Bread for the World's 2019 Offering of Letters to Congress: Better Nutrition, Better Tomorrow - Flipbook - Page 1
Bread for the World’s 2019 Oering of Letters to Congress
Over the past several decades, the world—with a strong
commitment from the United States—has made great progress
toward ending hunger by promoting global nutrition programs.
Hunger and poverty rates have been cut nearly in half during
the past 30 years. In countries such as Ghana and Honduras,
stunting—when a child does not grow and develop properly
because of chronic malnutrition—has been reduced by nearly
one-third in approximately 10 years.
We have the tools to move toward our goal of ending
hunger. Good nutrition during the 1,000-day period from
the beginning of a woman’s pregnancy to her child’s second
birthday is critical to a child’s health and future well-being.
As people of faith, we are called to care for one another
and speak out for those in need. Bread for the World’s 2019
Offering of Letters: Better Nutrition, Better Tomorrow urges
our government to accelerate progress toward ending hunger
by increasing funding for global child nutrition programs.
Today, nearly 821 million people in the world—11 percent
of the world’s population—remain hungry. One in 4 of the
world’s children are affected by stunting, resulting in irreversible
life consequences. Countries in Central America, South Asia,
and Sub-Saharan Africa are disproportionately affected. Almost
half of all child deaths worldwide are linked to malnutrition.
The Way Forward
To accelerate progress on nutrition, we must scale up
what we know works: improved access to nutritious foods,
vitamins and minerals, clean water and sanitation, promotion
of breastfeeding, and treatment for severe malnutrition.
Current funding is not enough to reach our global
nutrition goals, and powerful political forces are pushing
to curtail poverty-focused assistance.
Every child deserves a chance to survive and thrive. And
when children thrive, so do economies—leading to greater
global economic and political stability. Let’s join together to
urge our government to expand support for global nutrition
Joseph Molieri for Bread for the World
All children deserve the opportunity to live
a healthy life and reach their full potential.
Join us in making this opportunity a reality!
A U.S. government nutrition program in Guatemala is helping
children grow and learn.
programs that will improve the lives of millions of children
and mothers worldwide.
1. Urge Congress to support a global initiative to
accelerate progress on nutrition
Congress should pass legislation to establish a new,
scaled-up approach to global nutrition. Passage of a bill
or resolution will strengthen U.S. commitment to global
child nutrition and will lead other countries to join us in
the global effort to end hunger.
2. Urge Congress to protect and increase funding for
global nutrition
Congress should increase funding for global nutrition
programs. At the same time, our government—through
the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
in particular—should strengthen its capacity to address
malnutrition.
Nutrition for children experiencing hunger is a bipartisan
issue that will draw support from people in churches across
the country, people of goodwill, and leaders from both
political parties in Washington, D.C.
At a time of sharp political division in our country,
participating in the Offering of Letters can unite Americans
around a common cause for which millions stand to gain.