Hunger is a serious question that affects many countries in the world, especially in developing countries. A recent report states that “925 million people do not have enough to eat and 98 percent of them live in developing countries.”(FAO,2010) “Hunger is not just the need to eat; but can be defined as “the uneasy or painful sensation caused by want of food; craving appetite, [or] the exhausted condition caused by want of food” (Oxford English Dictionary), which means a continuing deprivation in a person of the food needed to support a healthy life. Over time, people in third world countries who suffer from hunger have slower physical and mental developments than well fed people and are vulnerable to illness and disease.
Poverty is the …show more content…

Malnutrition permeates all aspects of health, growth, cognition, motor and social development of young children in developing countries. Children who are malnourished are more susceptible to infections, and are more likely to become ill and/or die from these infections than a well-nourished child. “Undernutrition contributes to 53 percent of the 9.7 million deaths of children under five each year in developing countries”( UNICEF, 2006) “Poor nutrition plays a role in at least half of the 10.9 million child deaths each year—over five million deaths” (UNICEF 2008, p 1). Children who are poorly nourished suffer up to 160 days of illness each year. Under nutrition magnifies the effect of every disease, including measles and malaria. The estimated proportions of deaths in which under nutrition is an underlying cause are roughly similar for diarrhea (61%), malaria (57%), pneumonia (52%), and measles (45%) (Black 2003, Bryce 2005). Malnutrition can also be caused by diseases, such as the diseases that cause diarrhea, by reducing the body's ability to convert food into usable nutrients.
Malnutrition affects the proper mental and social development of a child, to the effect that malnourished children do less well in school and are less likely to reach their full potential than if they were well nourished. When malnutrition is widespread, this restricted development has obvious effects on the development potential of a