Here are some ideas to help you compose a Letter to the Editor or a social media post on the issue of child hunger and malnutrition. The sentences below are suggestions only and we encourage you to adapt them and also add your own thoughts. Making a personal or local connection to the issue can make your letter more compelling. Please do make sure to include the “ask” of $750 million in nutrition-specific funding.
Send your completed letter to your local newspaper or a community newsletter or share it on whatever social media platform you use. Please sign your name and state that you belong to the Grandmothers Advocacy Network (GRAN). Also please let GRAN know of your efforts by emailing us at: info@grandmothersadvocacy.org
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introductory sentence (choose one):
In the present time of political uncertainty and upheaval, it is important to remember what we, as Canadians, really stand for. We are a country that has shown leadership in its humanitarian responses to the problems facing the world today. One of the major problems the world faces today, is child hunger. Or...
In the past, Canada has shown leadership in the fight against malnutrition and global child hunger. That leadership is needed even more today as regional conflicts, global climate change and high food prices are precipitating a hunger crisis. Or...
Many people in Canada are finding it hard to afford nutritious food for their families. The situation globally is far worse. The present hunger crisis is unprecedented and children who experience hunger at a young age, are particularly at risk.
Middle sentences – The facts -- Pick just 2 or 3 to include in your letter:
According to UNICEF, each year over 1 million children under 5 die of severe wasting, the most lethal form of undernutrition.
Globally an estimated 149 million children under the age of 5 suffer from stunting, a condition that prevents them from reaching their physical and cognitive potential. Stunting can cause lifelong impacts and even affect the next generation.
Poor nutrition causes 45% of deaths in children under 5. That’s 3.1 million children each year.
The first 1000 days from conception to a child's second birthday are the most critical. A child who experiences severe malnutrition before the age of two has a weakened immune system and is susceptible to infections, disease, and death.
Children suffering from malnutrition are unlikely to do well in school because they are unable to concentrate, and will often miss school because of sickness. This can lead to a life of poverty.
Close to 40% of pregnant women worldwide suffer from anemia, often because of a lack of iron. This condition can lead to maternal mortality, stillbirths, and low birth weight.
Millions of children suffer from malnutrition driven by poverty, which robs families of access to nutritious food.
Child malnutrition is not just a food issue. Combatting malnutrition will require efforts on many fronts: health care, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, agriculture and food systems, climate adaptation, and poverty alleviation.
If we do not take action now, over the next 25 years it is projected that climate change will mean 40 million additional children will be stunted and 28 million additional children will be wasted.
closing sentences: The "Ask" (choose one):
In 2020, Canada pledged $520 million towards nutrition programs at the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit. Civil society organizations working in the area of health and nutrition are asking the Prime Minister to take this opportunity to ramp up the fight against hunger and commit $750 million in nutrition-specific funding at the Paris Nutrition for Growth Summit coming up in March. With this funding Canada can strengthen access to high-impact interventions for maternal and child malnutrition, address gender-related barriers to nutrition, strengthen health systems, and ensure access to essential nutrition in emergency settings. Or...
I belong to a group of grandmothers and "grand-others" who care deeply for the welfare of children world wide. We cannot imagine the pain of watching one's child suffer and die because of the lack of affordable, nutritious food. For this reason, we are asking the Canadian government to commit $750 million in funding at the international Nutrition for Growth Summit coming up in March. By directing nutrition-specific investments to Canadian organizations and global health initiatives, Canada’s investment would save lives and drive lasting improvements in health, education, and economic stability. Or...
Every child deserves a future. They need the best start in life to succeed, which means access to plentiful, nutritious food throughout their childhood. For this reason, we are asking the Canadian government to commit $750 million in nutrition-specific funding at the Paris Nutrition for Growth Summit in March 2025.
“It is not just about getting children enough to eat; it is above all about getting them the right food to eat.’’
-- Henrietta Fore, Former Executive Director of UNICEF
