Food and hunger relief
Nutrition programs
Screen and treat malnutrition in children under five.
Illustrative photo: Abo Ngalonkulu / Unsplash
Objective for the 2026 funding round
Screen 6,000 children under five for malnutrition, treat the 500 or so we expect to find malnourished, and teach mothers to prevent it.
Who it reaches: Young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women in food-insecure areas.
Target$47,644
Funding for this cause closes in
From $75: screening for 250 children with arm-band tests.
The need
Malnutrition in the first years stunts a child's growth and brain for life. It is simple to detect with an arm band and treatable with ready-to-use therapeutic food.
Why give to this cause
- Malnutrition in the first years of life can affect a child's growth and development for good, but it is treatable.
- Screening reaches children in their villages, before they become severely ill.
- Recovery rates are tracked for every child treated.
What your gift does
- $75screening for 250 children with arm-band tests
- $120full courses of therapeutic food for two children
- $700a year of cooking and nutrition classes for 40 mothers
Where your donation goes
The planned budget for this cause. Every quarter, the field report shows what was actually spent against each line.
- Therapeutic foodReady-to-use therapeutic food for malnourished children.40%$48 of $120
- Screening and treatmentHealth workers measuring arms and weight in every village.22%$26 of $120
- Cooking and feeding classesShowing mothers how to make nutritious meals from local food.15%$18 of $120
- MicronutrientsVitamin A, iron and deworming.13%$16 of $120
- Monitoring and reportingRecovery rates for every child treated.10%$12 of $120
How we do it
- 1
Health workers screen every child under five in the village.
- 2
Severely malnourished children are treated and weighed weekly.
- 3
Mothers learn to cook balanced meals from local foods.
- 4
Recovered children are rechecked after three months.
The impact your gift will have
- Malnourished children are found early and treated until they recover.
- Mothers learn how to feed their children well with foods available locally.
- Children who recover can grow, learn and resist illness like their peers.
What we measure and report
Targets for the 2026 funding round. Results against each one are published in the quarterly field report sent to every donor to this cause.
| Measure | Target |
|---|---|
| Children screened | 6,000 |
| Children treated | 500 |
| Treatment recovery rate | 85% |
| Mothers completing nutrition classes | 400 |
Join in the cause today
Make an impactful change in Africa.
Donate to nutrition programsFund nutrition programs
Your gift goes to this programme. You'll get an email receipt now and the field report every quarter.
Funding for this cause closes in
Choose an amount
- $75screening for 250 children with arm-band tests
- $120full courses of therapeutic food for two children
- $700a year of cooking and nutrition classes for 40 mothers
Gifts start at $50. Choose your own amount on the next page.
More food and hunger relief causes
Food and hunger reliefEmergency food aid
Food parcels for families when the harvest fails.
$90 two months of food parcels for a family of five.
Target$70,134
Donate
Food and hunger reliefDrought resilience
Water pans, drought-tolerant seed and irrigation that outlast the dry season.
$60 drought-tolerant seed for two farm plots.
Target$53,642
DonateQuestions donors ask
How can I donate food to Africa?
The fastest way to help is a money donation rather than shipping food: our partners buy food locally or give cash and vouchers where markets work, which is quicker and supports local farmers. Choose a cause, enter your amount in US dollars and pay securely by Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay or cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT and 100+ coins). You get an email receipt straight away and a field report every quarter.
How quickly does emergency food aid reach families?
We aim to distribute food within two weeks of funding, and every distribution is registered and checked.
Do you help prevent future famine?
Yes. The Drought resilience cause helps farmers grow food through the dry season with water pans and drought-tolerant crops.