What is Stunting?
Stunting (when
children are too short for their age) is caused by chronic malnutrition. Because
they don’t get enough of the right food, stunted children have a lower life
expectancy, do less well in school, and are more susceptible to diseases. Stunting is irreversible.
6.7 Million More Children Will Suffer in 2020 Estimates Predict
Over the
past two decades, the world has seen progress in reducing child malnutrition.
But the Covid-19 pandemic threatens to undo that progress. Because the pandemic
has increased the poverty rates worldwide, its estimated that 6.7 million more
children will suffer acute malnutrition in 2020. Simply put, people in poverty
have limited access to good, nutritious food. Struggling families simply can’t afford it.
How Kerusomen Tackles Child Malnutrition in
India
This
Christmas Kerusomen Gospel Ministries is launching a ministry to offer struggling
widows and families a reliable source of nutrition for themselves and their
children. The ministry is called KGM Gifts of Hope and it provides backyard
animals such as chickens and goats to poor families in six India states. The
program is administered through their native church planting partner, KGM India.
In a recent video ministry update Pastor Sahayadas Simon, Director of KGM India, emphasized the financial downturn in India and its effect on the common families, the poor families in India. He stated:
“Because of the Covid crisis, the financial downturn has become a big issue to these poor families. There are government restrictions both state and central. Many people have lost their jobs. Because of the infection, it is not safe out there to work; people don’t employ; people don’t have enough work. Those who are daily earning, or daily working people, literally struggle to find their income to feed their families. So it is the time that we need to move out there to help them.
In India, there are families, people who rear chickens and goats for their partial survival. Yet many of our believers, many of our widows don’t have any way of rearing them because they don’t have initial investment to buy five chickens or a goat. Thank you for initiating this project.”
Ways You Can
Help Defeat Child Malnutrition in India
India has 61
million stunted children. That’s 30% of the worlds stunted children in one
country. Let’s help change that:
- Pray for vulnerable widows, families, and their children in India.
- Share this video and information with everyone you know.
- Bless a family with some chickens or a goat this Christmas.
Together we
can make a real difference in the lives of people in India: one child, one family,
one animal at a time.
