On the sidelines of the 77th annual United Nations General Assembly, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, UNICEF Executive Director Cathy Russell, and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation Founder Sir Chris Hohn hosted a high-level event where it was announced public and private donors have committed an additional $280 million in new resources to scale up access to wasting treatment, including Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).
This brings total new public-private investments to combat child wasting to US$530 million, raised over the course of three months. With this mobilization of resources the world is poised – for the very first time in history – to reach the majority of children suffering from wasting with treatment. These were announced in addition to the $250 million committed in July by USAID and global philanthropies, including the Eleanor Crook Foundation.
“The Eleanor Crook Foundation is proud to be part of an incredible coalition of funders mobilized to combat the worsening child wasting crisis. With cost-effective and life-saving treatments like RUTF available, no child should suffer or die of malnutrition,” shared Will Moore, Chief Executive Officer, The Eleanor Crook Foundation. “In life, there are no silver bullets, but when it comes to keeping malnourished children alive, RUTF is as close as one comes. I applaud all of the donors who have stepped up during this moment of global crisis and plea for others to come to the table. This is progress but it’s not the finish line, and millions more children need our help.”
In life, there are no silver bullets, but when it comes to keeping malnourished children alive, RUTF is as close as one comes.
In a her speech marking this achievement, Administrator Power said:
“Only a third of children suffering from wasting today receive the treatment they need. And, with more funding, better delivery systems, and improved access to healthcare, we can empower communities to save their children’s lives.”
This announcement comes on the heels of USAID’s July announcement of a historic $200m investment to scale the coverage of wasting treatment, the most significant single investment in treatment in history. At that time, the Eleanor Crook Foundation (ECF), Sir Chris Hohn (Philanthropist and Chair of the Children’s Investments Fund Foundation), The CRI Foundation, and The ELMA Relief Foundation also announced a $50 million investment to combat rising child wasting rates and joined Administrator Power in calling on fellow donors to double this investment in the lead up to the 2022 UN General Assembly.
Only a third of children suffering from wasting today receive the treatment they need. And, with more funding, better delivery systems, and improved access to healthcare, we can empower communities to save their children’s lives.
