As the world marked World Food Day on Wednesday, Action Against Hunger launched a “nutrition thermometer” to help parents keep track of their children’s nutritional status.
The “thermometer”, basically an inexpensive band for wrapping around a child’s upper arm.
The band wraps around the middle of the child’s upper arm, stopping at a colour that corresponds to their nutrition status.
Green colour would show that the child is in good health while yellow or red means that the child is malnourished.
“Life threatening hunger is a medical issue. With funds for treatment, it can be cured in 90 per cent of the cases. With Band Together, we aim to change the way people think about hunger and how to solve it,” said Action Against Hunger, Chief Executive Officer, Charles Owubah during the launch at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Nairobi.
The band is aimed at raising awareness about the rising rates of hunger and scale medical interventions to counter the growing health threat.
Globally, more than 8,400 children die every day due to hunger, that is more than two million child deaths per year.
With this tool, parents can quickly and easily see when their child needs to be taken to a health center for urgent hunger treatment.
About 50 million children globally suffer from acute malnutrition, yet fewer than one in four has access to care.
If the current situation persists, 31 million more children will die of hunger by 2030, the target for the UN Sustainable Development Goal of ending malnutrition worldwide.
“Band Together aims to put this urgent public health issue where it belongs, at the top of the agenda for national and world leaders,” said Hajir Maalim, Action Against Hunger’s Regional Director for the Horn and Eastern Africa.
