Action Against Hunger
Action Against Hunger-ACF International (AAH-ACF) is an international humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger. Recognized as a leader in the fight against malnutrition, AAH-ACF saves the lives of malnourished children while providing communities with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger. With more than 35 years of expertise in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity, AAH-ACF runs life-saving programs in over 45 countries. AAH-ACF’s 6,0000 professionals work to carry out innovative programs in nutrition, food security & livelihoods, and water, sanitation, & hygiene. AAH-ACF’s humanitarian programs directly assist over seven million people each year, along with countless others, through capacity building programs in collaboration with government ministries. Committed to principled humanitarian action, AAH-ACF restores dignity, self-sufficiency, and independence to vulnerable populations around the world.
What We Give Together
Nutritional Food Packs are specifically formulated for the nutritional rehabilitation of severely acute malnourished children. It supports rapid weight gain derived from broad nutrient intake which can alleviate a starving child from impending illness or death.
What is Malnutrition?
Acute Malnutrition
Routine nourishment allows humans to secure the energy their bodies need to support vital organ functions, cell development and tissue maintenance. Acute malnutrition occurs when the body doesn’t receive this nourishment and exhausts its energy reserves: the body begins to consume its own tissues in search of the nutrients and energy it needs to survive, targeting muscle and body fat first. The bodys metabolism begins to slow, thermal regulation is disrupted, kidney function is impaired, and the immune system’s capacity is diminished. The greater the loss of muscle and other tissue, the less likely the chances of survival.
Moderate Acute Malnutrition
Moderate acute malnutrition greatly increasing morbidity rates—an individual’s risk of death—by introducing serious deficiencies that compromise a person’s immune system, leaving them more susceptible to illness and disease. These deficiencies include anemia (from a lack of iron), goiter (from a lack of iodine), and xerophthalmia (from a lack of vitamin A), as well as scurvy, pellagra, beriberi (from a lack of vitamin B), and rickets (from a lack of vitamin D).
Severe Acute Malnutrition
Acute malnutrition’s most extreme form—a deadly condition if left untreated—severe acute malnutrition afflicts an estimated 17 million children worldwide, and results in the loss of 1 million children under five every year. This loss of life is all the more tragic because severe acute malnutrition is predictable, preventable, and treatable. This condition takes one of two forms, although it’s not clearly understood why an individual develops on versus the other: