Today, The Eleanor Crook Foundation, along with a group of leading international development organizations, revealed a mobile billboard that will be traveling through D.C. in an effort to urge bold U.S. leadership to end severe childhood malnutrition around the globe. The billboard comes on the heels of the group’s work to amplify Nourish the Future, an evidence-based five-year plan for the U.S. Government to scale up the most lifesaving malnutrition interventions in nine high-burden countries.
“Every 11 seconds a child dies from malnutrition. Together we can change that. Americans spend about $2.7 billion annually on Halloween candy. For a third of that, we can lead the next child survival revolution,” the mobile billboard reads, “We have the solutions to save millions of children around the globe. Pledge to Nourish the Future at endmalnutrition.org.”
“The world is facing the largest spike in global hunger in 20 years. We know the proven, cost-effective solutions that can be scaled-up and set us on a course to end hunger and malnutrition today. We just need more people to pay attention and demand action. That is what this mobile billboard is about,” said Eleanor Crook Foundation CEO Will Moore, “This is a solvable problem. We’ve got the roadmap. It’s time to act.”
The mobile billboard is routed for travel from 9AM ET to 5PM ET on Thursday, October 28, and Friday, October 29, 2021 and will be stopping at the following locations:
- Foggy Bottom Metro Station
- Department of State
- Union Station
- Eisenhower Executive Office Building
- Ronald Reagan Building
Earlier this month, a group of global development leaders hosted a briefing titled, Nourish the Future: An Opportunity for U.S. Leadership on Malnutrition, where Representatives Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Chris Stewart (R-UT) and international development leaders discussed the urgency to address worldwide malnutrition and the critical need for increased U.S. leadership on this issue. The convening also included remarks from Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, and CARE Ambassador and Singer-Songwriter Kimberley Locke.
Nourish the Future emphasizes that health and food systems—the two primary vehicles for combating malnutrition—must work in harmony for impacts to be sustainable. These two systems currently operate in silos and have failed to consistently and collaboratively meet the scale of high-impact nutrition interventions needed to address global malnutrition effectively.
To make these systems meet the moment now and for future generations, Nourish the Future recommends emboldening U.S. government leaders to fight global malnutrition by elevating the “Power 4” nutrition interventions:
- Prenatal vitamins for pregnant women;
- Breastfeeding support for mothers;
- Vitamin A supplementation; and
- Ready-to-use therapeutic food for treatment of wasting.
To read more about Nourish the Future visit: endmalnutrition.org
