Good nutrition improves child development and school performance.
You need a lot of energy to think. In fact, about 20% of our daily calories are used as fuel for our brain. Some studies show that more demanding cognitive work burns more calories.
For a child's brain to develop, it needs a variety of essential nutrients, from the right balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates to vitamins, minerals and water. Micro-nutrients such as iron, zinc, choline, iodine, folic acid, vitamin B12 and healthy fats are also important for cognitive development and learning.Without adequate nutrition, children's healthy development is at risk. Nutrient deficiencies can reduce brain cell production, affect cell size and complexity, and even lead to less efficient communication between brain cells. This could lead to slower language development, impaired fine motor skills, and lower IQ, all of which negatively impact the child's life in and out of the classroom.
Proper nutrient balance in the early stages of life is crucial for brain development. , promoting cognitive development into adulthood.
Child malnutrition harms health, education and well-being.
Today 45 million children suffer from severe malnutrition. Without treatment, they may experience delayed cognitive development, which can affect their academic performance for years.School meals are an important measure for the healthy development of children. However, 73 million primary school children living in extreme poverty do not have access to school meals.
When children do not have access to food at school, a vicious circle of hunger, school absenteeism and poverty is created. There are millions of children - especially girls - who do not go to school because their families need them to help in the fields, look after their siblings or do household chores. Children in war-torn countries are twice as likely to be out of school as their peers in stable countries.For girls, this probability increases 2.5 times. When children miss school, they miss important developmental milestones, such as understanding basic maths concepts or reading and writing skills.
“A daily meal is a very, very strong incentive for families to keep sending their children to school,” Segar said. “But by providing these meals to children, we see an increase in enrolment of about 9% (12% for girls).”
WFP school meals save lives and improve the future
Nutritious school meals can change a child’s life.These meals help fight hunger, malnutrition and poverty by providing essential nutrients, promoting school attendance and lifelong learning, and supporting long-term health and well-being. School meals also increase attendance and graduation rates by providing students with the nutrients they need to stay healthy, strong and focused on their studies.
The United Nations World Food Program helps keep millions of children in classrooms and focused on school by providing them with nutritious school meals, snacks and take-home ingredients.We are the world's largest provider of school meals, reaching more than 20 million children in 59 countries around the world.