Every minute, one child becomes malnourished
Every minute, one child becomes malnourished. Nearly 8 million children around the world are affected by severe acute malnutrition. Support UNICEF and help provide therapeutic food, treatment and urgent humanitarian assistance to children in need.
children are affected by severe malnutrition
deaths of children under 5 caused by malnutrition
of therapeutic food worldwide is provided by UNICEF
The situation is particularly severe in Gaza, Yemen and Sudan. Faced with prolonged conflict, families are unable to provide even the most basic necessities for their children. Today, children are on the front line of the hunger crisis. Many children still cannot access the help they urgently need.
Malnutrition is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths among children under the age of 5. UNICEF provides around 80% of the world's supply of therapeutic food used to save children's lives.
Time is running out for children suffering from malnutrition. Every donation can mean the difference between life and death.
With your donation, you provide:
Help provide children with food, treatment and the chance for the life they deserve. Every donation saves lives!
Watch UNICEF field footage from Gaza, where children and families receive life-saving therapeutic food and humanitarian assistance.
Together, we can prevent malnutrition from defining the childhoods of millions of children. Let’s ensure they receive treatment that brings recovery and hope!
We conduct malnutrition screenings for children, support the operation of malnutrition treatment centres, and deliver therapeutic food and other humanitarian assistance whenever humanitarian access allows. In 2025, around 80,000 children with severe acute malnutrition received treatment in Gaza.
We supply malnutrition treatment centres with therapeutic food and work with local communities to identify children with malnutrition early and refer them for treatment. At the same time, we provide vaccines, safe water, and sanitation services
We deliver therapeutic food, medical supplies and safe drinking water, support the functioning of health facilities, and establish safe spaces for displaced children and families. In 2025, more than 600,000 children received treatment for severe acute malnutrition.
On the night of 24–25 June, two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela. Children who were already living in poverty before this disaster are now left without homes, safe drinking water and food. UNICEF is already on the ground, providing emergency assistance to the most vulnerable children and their families.
“At birth, my baby weighed 4 kilograms and was healthy. Now she is over one year old, weighs only 5 kilograms, and is severely malnourished. Mohammed, my second child, has lost all his hair due to malnutrition. Both he and his sister are constantly sick, weak and exhausted.”
One-year-old Nadia has recovered from severe malnutrition at the Al-Khawkha centre in Yemen.
After being treated with special therapeutic food, she became stronger and returned to her mother’s arms, smiling.
“This centre saved my daughter’s life and gave us hope that means so much to us.”
“At this centre, I found the help we desperately needed. Therapeutic food saved my daughter’s life.”
THE IMPACT OF MALNUTRITION CHILDREN
Many families simply do not have access to a healthy diet or cannot afford it. This leads to micronutrient deficiencies and devastating consequences for children’s survival, growth and development.
Children who are stunted are shorter than expected for their age, and their brains may never reach their full potential. This affects their ability to learn throughout their lives.
The most serious form occurs when a child experiences a rapid and dangerous loss of weight due to a sudden lack of food. The child becomes extremely thin, has a weakened immune system, and requires urgent treatment and care. If the child survives, they are at higher risk of stunting and long-term developmental delays.
Every donation matters when children’s lives are at stake!
Our organization supports reforms in the Republic of Serbia to help ensure that every child can realize their rights in the areas of early childhood development, education and child protection. We work closely with decision-makers, while remaining an independent voice for children and young people.
The UNICEF Friends Club is a community of regular donors whose monthly contributions enable UNICEF to provide essential support to children both in emergencies and every day of the year, as part of its regular programmes for children in Serbia.
UNICEF publishes annual reports on its work regularly and informs the public about its results. Transparency is part of our identity. See our results in 2024 in Serbia.
