TO THE EDITOR:
Growing up in Gambia, I saw malnutrition trigger desolation and correlate with poverty. I was in high school when I volunteered in a rural village in Gambia, and this is where I met Fatou. Fatou was 5 years old, but she physically resembled a 2-year-old.
One of the detrimental effects of malnutrition is stunting, which makes children more susceptible to diseases, even chronic ones, affecting children in the long run.
Fatou had eyes drenched in melancholy. Even though it’s been seven years since her passing, I’ll never forget those eyes.
Two and a half million children die annually from undernutrition. Countries like the U.S. have abundant resources that could help annihilate the issues pertaining to malnutrition, but the U.S. spends less than 1 percent of its annual GDP on nutritional interventions.
On June 8, RESULTS, an anti-poverty grassroots organization, took part in a conference in London striving to eliminate child malnutrition. RESULTS sought to procure a robust pledge from the U.S. so that undernutrition could be tackled better.
By pledging to aid parents and children, the U.S. can trigger a chain of awareness so that other nations can follow in its footsteps, leaving a trail of hope for the affected victims of undernutrition.
Unfortunately, the U.S. didn’t have that strong commitment, but all hope is not lost. As a RESULTS advocate, I am calling on you to help increase awareness of issues pertaining to poverty. Your voice is a tool that can change the world, and I believe that with your help, we can make a change in eliminating malnutrition.
“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Email me at awajagne@live.unc.edu to get involved with RESULTS.
