For every child, nutrition!

An adequate, well-balanced diet is essential for child survival, health and development. Good nutrition helps children grow, learn and reach their full potential, while under nutrition can limit development and perpetuate poverty. Malnutrition remains significant challenge in Ethiopia. According to Ethiopia’s food and nutrition survey malnutrition is driven by multiple factors, including inadequate dietary intake, poor infant and young child feeding practices, food insecurity, micronutrient deficiency, recurrent drought, floods and climate-related shocks, conflict and displacement, limited access to quality health nutrition, water and sanitation services and low awareness of optimal nutrition practices. These challenges disproportionately affect vulnerable children, adolescent, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Nutrition in numbers

45 per cent of child deaths are associated with under-nutrition.
40 per cent of children under five years are stunted.
87 per cent of children under five years old are experiencing child food poverty.
18 per cent of children under five years are underweight.
5 per cent of children under five years suffer from wasting.
57 per cent of children are exclusively breastfed during the first 6 months.
23 per cent of adolescent girls are anemic
18 per cent of adolescent girls are underweight
10 percent of adolescent girls are overweight
19 per cent of women aged 15–49 years are undernourished
66 per cent of women of reproductive age have micronutrient deficiency

A mother and a baby posing for a camera with a smile — UNICEFEthiopia/2024/Demissew Bizuwerk

The Solution

The Government of Ethiopia recognizes that addressing all forms of malnutrition is critical to achieving sustainable development. However, malnutrition among children, adolescents and women remains significant challenge, requiring multi-sectoral action. In partnership with the Government of Ethiopia, UNICEF supports efforts to strengthen nutrition systems, development of nutrition policies, expand access to quality nutrition services, and promote optimal feeding practices to improve nutrition outcomes nationwide.

Government’s national nutrition programme focusing on these four areas:

Improve nutrition for young children: Enhance access to quality nutrition services, promote optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, strengthen nutrition counselling, micronutrient supplementation and deworming and empower women and caregivers to adopt healthy, affordable and divers diets
Improve school-aged children and adolescent nutrition: Support the implementation of school-based nutrition programs for children aged 5-19 years through nutritious school meals, weekly iron and folic acid supplement, periodic deworming, nutrition screening and counseling, and Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC). Promote nutrition education, fortified foods, healthy school food environment and evidence-based policies encourage healthy diets and limit the marketing of unhealthy foods.
Improve women nutrition: Empower women to access nutritious diets, micronutrient supplementation, quality nutrition services, and fortified foods to prevent maternal and newborn malnutrition. UNICEF is supporting the introduction of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) through primary health care facilities and its scale-up nationwide by 2030.
Prevent and treat malnutrition through integrated services: Strengthen the early detection and treatment of wasting by integrating nutrition into primary health care, expanding community-based services, and improving health systems and supply chains. UNICEF supports mobile health and nutrition teams in hard-to-reach areas and conducts rapid screening and treatment campaigns in emergency settings, working closely with government and partners to enhance preparedness and response.

UNICEF address all forms of malnutrition through system approach that strengthen the key systems that shape the diet, services and practices children and women need to thrive. It focuses on transforming food, health, water and sanitation, and social protection system to ensure equitable access to nutritious, safe, affordable and sustainable diets for children, adolescents, and women while ensuring essential nutrition services, and healthy feeding practice throughout the life cycle.

By 2030, UNICEF aims to support the Government of Ethiopia in achieving its nutrition and development commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2, which seeks to end hunger, improve nutrition, and ensure sustainable food systems for all.