John,

No child should be going hungry in a world that produces plenty of food to eat.

But the tragic reality is that malnutrition is the #1 threat to children’s survival today. A staggering 45 million children worldwide under the age of 5 are severely malnourished — causing 1 in 5 deaths among young children.

A lack of nutritious food means children are losing weight, becoming weak and facing a greater risk of illness. And as conflicts continue to rage around the globe and funding cuts take critical assistance away from children in crisis, our teams at Save the Children are racing to reach as many kids as possible with life-sustaining support.

Today, on World Food Day, we’re sharing reports from affected regions that show the impact of this crisis on young children — and the ways we’re helping them overcome severe hunger. You can learn more about the hunger crisis affecting children across the globe — and how Save the Children is responding — by visiting the famine and hunger section of our website.

Gaza
Recently, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed famine is present in Gaza. Half a million people — half of whom are children — are facing catastrophic hunger. At least 132,000 children under age 5 in Gaza are at risk of death from acute malnutrition.
 

After her daughter, Basma*, was born, Radwa* had surgery that prevented her from breastfeeding. Without breast milk and with little food available due to the war, Basma grew weak and had to be hospitalized. Save the Children provided Radwa with breastfeeding support and Basma with ready-to-use therapeutic food, which helped improve her condition. Although we treated Basma, therapeutic food is now running out as more and more children arrive at the clinic suffering from severe malnutrition.

Somalia
In Somalia, severe drought, floods, high food prices and ongoing conflict have pushed 4.6 million people to severe levels of hunger. By July 2026, nearly half of children under age 5 could face acute malnutrition. At the same time, global aid cuts have reduced access to health and nutrition services, leading to a rise in diseases and malnutrition.

The closing of nutrition centers and health facilities — over a quarter of those supported by Save the Children — has left over 55,000 children without access to lifesaving nutrition services since June.
 

Two of Adno’s* daughters, 2-year-old Farhiya* and 6-year old Maymun*, used to get therapeutic food at the health facility, a service which is no longer available due to funding cuts. The staff works for free so they can still see families, but there are no supplies available. Families are sent to a pharmacy or elsewhere to get medicine and treatment. But like many local families, Adno can’t afford to buy the food and medical supplies they need.

Yemen
After more than a decade of war, Yemen is facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. More than 17 million people are facing hunger, including half of the nation’s children.

Across Yemen, families continue to face widespread displacement, food insecurity and limited access to basic services. The country is caught in a vicious cycle of armed conflict, economic crisis and disruptions to vital public services — with devastating effects on its children.

Save the Children has been working in Yemen since 1963 and is one of the largest aid organizations operating there. Since March 2015, we’ve reached more than 5 million children in Yemen with lifesaving assistance, and we currently support more than 200 health facilities across the country to deliver vital nutrition services for babies, children and mothers.
 

Maha's* family was displaced repeatedly due to conflict. The repeated upheaval, loss of stable income and skyrocketing food prices have made it difficult for her to feed her family, including her youngest daughter, Amal,* who is 9-months-old. Amal was diagnosed with malnutrition and treated with therapeutic food at a Save the Children health facility.

Save the Children is working tirelessly in these regions and around the world to help pregnant mothers and children facing hunger. We continue to call for increased funding for humanitarian aid and unfettered access to humanitarian aid in conflict and crisis zones. Learn more about our work to end child hunger in the U.S. and worldwide.

Thank you,

The Save the Children team