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World Food Prize Laureates combat mother, child undernourishment

The 2018 World Food Prize Laureates were honored in Des Moines, Iowa for their leadership combating inadequate nutrition in children and their mothers.

Doctors Lawrence Haddad and David Nabarro have worked to improve child and maternal nutrition in the critical period from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday. A recent upturn in rates of undernourishment has contributed to unrest, according to economist Dr. Haddad.

“Hungry people and malnourished people are people without hope very often,” Haddad told reporters Thursday before accepting the World Food Prize. “Hope is something that really drives conflict.”

Nabarro, a medical doctor, says he’s saddened that during conflict, the number of undernourished children “rockets up.”

“As many as 15 percent of young children of age 2 to 5 are suffering from what we call wasting, which is extreme thinness,” said Dr. Nabarro.

The two also advocate for more affordable food, especially in economically depressed parts of the world.

AUDIO: Lawrence Haddad and David Nabarro (25 min. MP3)