The Cost of Hunger in Africa: the Social and Economic Impact of Child Undernutrition in Sudan

Rome (Italy): World Food Programme (WFP), 2020.

English

82 p.

WFP098

Over the past decades, Sudan has faced a series of shocks that have triggered a decline in food security and nutrition trends. The country has suffered from long lasting civil war, tribal conflicts, natural disasters; floods, drought, and overall poor governance. Alongside growing poverty and food insecurity, stunting rates due to undernutrition among children under five continued to report high records, accompanied by the growing double burden rates of infectious and non-infectious diseases trends. Undernutrition and related chronic diseases, such as non-communicable diseases that follow later in life, created a vicious circle that poses a fundamental challenge to policy making. Undernutrition cannot be addressed through one social sector alone, but rather through consolidated efforts at the national level, requiring a comprehensive and coordinated multi-sectoral approach. The analysis of the social and economic consequences of child undernutrition revealed a connection between this and increased health care costs due to illness, as well as an increased educational burden due to higher repetition and early drop-out rates which in turn contribute to reduced labour productivity. The study highlights that long-term sustainable development and achieving SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) cannot be achieved without effectively combatting undernutrition and the elimination of childhood stunting, as key -component of the social development agenda.

Electronic ed.

WFP/E 098

English

MON-017434