Development Works Number 6, December 2012 | Page 2

sign of chronic malnutrition, but stunting has far deeper
implications. For their entire lives, stunted children will be
more susceptible to both infectious and noninfectious diseases. Their cognitive development has also been stunted;
they will finish fewer grades in school and earn less income.
This is obviously a tragedy for the children and their
families. It also drains the potential for development of entire countries. In some developing countries, more than 40
percent of all children are stunted. The world—particularly
developing countries—faces complex problems. We can’t
afford to miss the window of opportunity, tilting the odds
permanently against so many children who are still toddlers.
The Copenhagen Consensus is a group of world-renowned economists who named fighting malnutrition
the top priority and best use of development resources. As
Nobel laureate economist Vernon Smith put it, “The benefits from [reducing malnutrition]— in terms of increased
health, schooling, and productivity— are tremendous.”
The good news is that we now know how to ensure that
children are well-nourished at age 2—and it’s not complicated. It requires straightforward actions such as ensuring
that pregnant women get essential nutrients, supporting
new mothers in breastfeeding exclusively for six months,
treating children for worms and diarrheal diseases, and providing supplemental vitamins and minerals.
This may sound expensive, but the dollar figures, both
in absolute terms and in the “return on investment” of giving children a fair chance in life, are modest. For example,
recent research by IFPRI shows that a specific package of
nutrition actions could reduce chronic malnutrition by 36
percent. The cost? Just $100 per child.
More good news—that child nutrition efforts can bring
quick results—comes from the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN)
Movement, a group of developing countries (31 at last
count) and international organizations working together to
expand effective nutrition actions during the 1,000 Days.
SUN countries each develop a plan that includes specific
targets to improve maternal/child nutrition.
SUN reports, “Countries which have taken concerted
action to reduce [malnutrition] have shown remarkably
fast rates of reduction. Brazil, Peru, Thailand and China
are among these. This shows what can be done with the

Development Works explains why U.S. development assistance is important. This chapter offers two examples—each
affecting hundreds of millions of people—of why development assistance cannot wait until we have more money or
enthusiasm for it.

Opening the Window of Opportunity

Laura Elizabeth Pohlt/Bread for the World

We all know that very young children develop quickly.
One day they can barely sit up, and three months later,
they’re walking. It’s almost literally “blink and you miss it.”
The scientific consensus is that this period—from pregnancy through a child’s second birthday—is the most important time not to go hungry, precisely because of this
rapid pace of development. It’s often called the 1,000-day
window of opportunity.
Children who are malnourished during the window don’t
really get a second chance. They have a much higher risk
of infections, illnesses, and death. One-third of all deaths
among young children are caused by malnutrition. Those
who survive will not be able to catch up by eating healthy
meals and taking extra vitamins in kindergarten. Damage
from malnutrition during the 1,000 Days lasts a lifetime..
The percentage of children with stunte d growth is an accurate indication of the severity of a nation’s malnutrition
burden. Being very short for one’s age is the most obvious

Janaki Rana, 20, holds her 2-year-old daughter Binti outside the
Nutrition Rehabilitation Hospital in Dhangadhi, Nepal, where Binti
was once a patient.

8 percent

2034

By now, drought in Ethiopia
is projected to strike three years out of
four. It will be the new normal.

The drop in students reaching
their final year of school when
stunting increases by 10 percent.

2