2. INTRODUCTION OF MERELO LOBO
Working in the humanitarian field since 2001, Mariana
Merelo Lobo is Action Against Hunger-UK’s Operations
Director. Her policy and humanitarian work have taken
her to East Timor, Liberia and Eritrea. Mariana’s current
work includes improving the impact of Action Against
Hunger | ACF’s humanitarian programming and ensuring
policy change on acute malnutrition issues. We talk to
Mariana about ACF’s latest publication - Malnutrition:
Just Stop It.
3. WHAT IS MALNUTRITION?
Malnutrition seldom makes the headlines, yet it is the world’s
largest public health problem. It is a condition whereby a
person does not receive an adequate intake of energy and
nutrients from food. This can quickly develop into severe
acute malnutrition; essential bodily functions deteriorate,
the immune system is weakened and the body may become
very swollen with fluid or wasted.
It is estimated that 55 million children worldwide are acutely
malnourished. 19 million of these children are severely
acutely malnourished. This means that without treatment,
they are at imminent risk of death.
Acute malnutrition is a human development scandal in its own
right, which deserves immediate unprecedented attention.
4. HISTORY
ACF International has been working for over 30 years to meet
the immediate and long term needs of millions of children and
families worldwide. Driven by our vision of a world without
hunger, ACF has built a network of five headquarters working in
over 40 countries, helping over four million people every year.
Despite significant progress, malnutrition is still the underlying
cause of an unacceptable number of child deaths and illness.
Poor nutrition can also permanently affect mental and physical
growth in the early years of a child’s life, robbing whole
communities of a future. We can, and must, build on our
existing work to do more. Our five year strategy aims to do just
that. We outline clear objectives that build on our core strengths
of saving the lives of malnourished children and responding to
natural and man-made disasters. To achieve our objectives we
will continue to provide for the immediate needs of those
vulnerable to hunger, whilst addressing its underlying causes.
All our objectives will further the impact we have on those
deprived from one of the most basic human needs: food. Whilst
we must remain mindful that our objectives are set at a time of
economic turmoil, we know from over three decades of
experience that it is entirely possible to bring about an end to
hunger and malnutrition. The financial crisis has demonstrated
that money can be found when the world deems it important.
Therefore, we pledge to make it our business, to make hunger
matter and end malnutrition.
5. IMPACT
In western Chad, Hawa, the mother of one year
old Adam, travelled by camel for five days in the
burning hot desert to find the nearest health
centre to save her child from dying from
malnutrition. Her son was treated and survived.
Whilst Hawa and Adam’s story shows us that it
is possible to save a child from malnutrition, it
also alerts us to the urgent need of improving
access to health services that provide adequate
treatment and care.
