ZeroHungerFast

Children in Guatemala, standing beneath a line showing the normal height of kids their age. The country has one of the highest rates of stunting in the world. Photo: Food for the Hungry.

Seven-year-old Rani and her classmates in Dhenkanal, India, eating a school meal with micronutrients mixed into their curry and rice. Photo: WFP/Isheeta Sumra.

Nyajime Guet, a recipient of life-saving therapeutic treatment for severe acute malnutrition at a UNICEF-supported clinic. Find her story below. Photo: UNICEF/UNI201744/Rich.

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#ZeroHungerFast is a call to action organized by a coalition of UNICEF USA volunteers in support of UNICEF’s fight against child hunger and emergency response to famine and food crises.

This year, the world has seen extraordinary levels of hunger and food insecurity, with an estimated 7.5 million children facing severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and millions more without enough to eat. The project is an appeal to:

#1. FAST for a day or skip a meal, drink, or snack;

#2. DONATE what would have been spent - or whatever amount you’re willing and able to give - to UNICEF’s nutrition programs and assistance in humanitarian emergencies; and

#3. HELP RAISE AWARENESS of child hunger and the humanitarian crises affecting children around the world in 2017. Start a discussion with friends or family, organize a community event, write to your elected officials, or simply share an article or photo that moves you on social media.

If you're willing to take one or more of these actions, please add your name to the #ZeroHungerFast pledge and share with your networks, asking them to do the same.

PLEDGE

Lend your support to the effort:

Interested in getting involved with the project?

*Info is for tracking purposes to measure project impact and will not be shared.

GIVE

Donate to the cause:

Just $10 can provide approximately a dozen high energy biscuits or packets of therapeutic milk.
$20 is enough for over 100 packets of oral rehydration salts or 500 packets of micronutrient powder.
Approximately $50 allows UNICEF to procure a carton of ready-to-use therapeutic food – enough for the six- to eight-week course of treatment that can restore the health of a child with severe acute malnutrition. It is the world’s largest buyer, purchasing some 80% of global supply of this life-saving “miracle food.”
$100 is enough for five vaccine carriers, while $1000 can supply a dozen water kits, each including 500 purifying tablets to prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases.

Your contribution of any amount is greatly appreciated; thank you for your support!

DONATE

Help spread the word on social media:

Your commitment will benefit UNICEF's nutrition programs in places such as:

South Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Yemen
In these and other states across Africa and the Middle East, drought and conflict have led to an unprecedented food security crisis this year, putting over 2.5 million children at imminent risk of death. Famine was officially declared in South Sudan in February 2017 for the first time in the world since 2011, and countless children across the region have been suffering from starvation, lack of clean water, and related diseases.

Bangladesh
The country has recently seen an influx of over half a million Rohingya refugees fleeing ethnic violence. As many as 60% are thought to be children, with an estimated 7,500 suffering from SAM.

Syria
Over six years of brutal civil war have destroyed the agricultural sector and left some 85% of the population living in poverty. More than six million suffer from persistent hunger, and – as in other conflict situations – lack of humanitarian access has impeded the provision of needed assistance.

Afghanistan
Facing escalating violence and a national nutrition crisis this year, over 200,000 Afghan children are in urgent need of treatment for SAM.

Haiti
Already-high levels of food insecurity were exacerbated by the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Matthew late last year. UNICEF is working to treat approximately 30,000 children for malnutrition in 2017.

Guatemala, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Laos
Factors ranging from systemic poverty and natural disasters to conflict and displacement have created food insecurity and among the highest levels of child stunting in the world (approximately 30 to 50% of children under 5).

Please join us in supporting UNICEF’s life-saving assistance to children in these and other countries around the world. Amid suffering and despair, we can help create stories of resilience, survival, and hope.