International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate women’s achievements. It’s also a somber day of reckoning with the hard truth that, around the globe, women still face deep inequalities. While you may be familiar with the pay gap, gender-based violence, and under-representation of women in politics and corporate boards, you’ve likely heard less about another area that is just as concerning: the gender nutrition gap.
Globally, 49.7% of the population is female, yet women and girls make up a striking 60% of the chronically hungry. In fact, 126 million more women than men don’t know where their next meal is coming from—or if they will eat at all.
Gender inequality is a significant cause and consequence of hunger. In many parts of the world, women and girls have less autonomy and lower status, even within their own homes. Men eat first and get the best portions. Women and girls typically eat last and least, if at all. And they often don’t have a choice about the foods they’ll eat.
As a result, more than one billion adolescent girls and women–roughly one in four globally–suffer from undernutrition, deficiencies in essential micronutrients, and anemia, according to the Gender Nutrition Gap Report, which Action Against Hunger helped to develop.
There are mental and emotional impacts, too. In a survey conducted by Action Against Hunger, young people in Sierra Leone reported that their inability to meet basic needs, most notably food insecurity, was the primary cause of their mental health distress, leading to frequent changes in mood, such as sadness and anger.
Economists consistently rank nutrition among the most cost-effective ways to improve lives. Not only are nutrition interventions relatively inexpensive to deliver, but they also have an extremely high return on investment.
These are interlocking issues: chronic food insecurity can impact physical and mental well-being, even as some psychological challenges, such as depression, can make it harder to reduce food insecurity by finding a path out of poverty. Together, these challenges can make it harder for people to realize their full human or economic potential. Our research also shows that the stress of chronic poverty and disagreements around how to manage household resources such as food can increase the domestic violence too many women experience.
International Women’s Day is a chance for us to spotlight and support women working to address these challenges.
One woman who’s doing just that is Ritah Kabayoro, Action Against Hunger’s Country Director in Uganda. “Like millions of girls around the world, I grew up hungry,” Ritah explains. “I thought that it was perfectly normal to only eat one meal a day … Around the age of seven, I started experiencing severe fainting spells, losing consciousness at least once every day. Later, I learned it was because of chronic dehydration and malnutrition. Without a more nutritious diet, I could have faced lifelong health consequences.” More than one-third of children face chronic hunger in Uganda.
Like millions of girls around the world, I grew up hungry.
Today, Ritah’s work plays an integral role in the survival of countless displaced people in Uganda. Action Against Hunger’s programs also help to elevate women and girls in a country where gender-based violence and discrimination are rampant. Almost all Ugandan women (95%) have experienced physical or sexual violence, or both, by partners or non-partners since the age of 15, according to a national survey of women in Uganda in 2020.
Women are also generally responsible for feeding the household in Uganda. Because most of the refugees entering the country are women, providing food and income assistance helps women gain independence while providing life-saving services. “As Country Director for Action Against Hunger, I’ve seen how it can be so much harder for women and girls to escape hunger’s grip as they face higher barriers to financial stability, education, and other opportunities,” Ritah tells us.
In Zambia, our teams work with women like Ms. Makina to spread awareness about gender equality and help women of all ages build resilience and learn about local markets.
Another inspiring woman is Doroth Makina. In 2019, she brought women in her community together to form a savings group in Senanga, her town in the Western Province of the Republic of Zambia, where gender inequity is rampant. In Zambia, where 39% of girls are married by the age of 18 and nearly 30% of girls become pregnant by the age of 18. She teaches women and girls about a variety of issues, from finance to safe sex and family planning. She also encourages them to participate in projects that can improve farm yields, reducing hunger and giving women their own source of income.
Despite the backlash against her activism, Ms. Makina knows her work is vital and she is undaunted in her efforts to forge brighter futures for young women.
Someone else we’re celebrating today is Janet Mwendo, one of 290 community health workers Action Against Hunger trained in Tanzania’s Singida region. In Tanzania, nearly one-third of children under five are malnourished, with micronutrient deficiencies a particular concern.
Janet goes from home to home, equipped with resources such as a health manual, an education guide for families and a MUAC (mid-upper arm circumference) band to detect malnutrition in children. In addition to making vital home visits, Janet also serves at the Kiomboi Hospital where Action Against Hunger supports a Therapeutic Feeding Unit. It provides special care for malnourished children—many of whom Janet screened and referred to the facility.
Janet says her work is not only essential for child health, but incredibly rewarding: “Nothing feels as good and satisfying as seeing the children who were once very weak due to malnutrition now playing outside their houses, full of smiles.”
Now known as “the street doctor,” Janet has become a highly respected member of the community, as children tend to remember. Janet reports that the children she’s treated “run in my direction and hug me whenever I come on follow-up visits.”
In the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, women like Ritah, Makina, and Janet are rising up to create a better world. Their stories illustrate an important truth. While women bear a disproportionate burden of poverty, addressing gender disparities typically leads to better outcomes for everyone, women and men. Studies show that greater opportunities for women and more balanced household decision-making can raise income and improve family health. Gender equity also tends to improve health and nutrition, as women advocate for improved hygiene, spend more on food for the family, and choose a more diverse and nutritious family diet.
On International Women’s Day, we’ll see a lot of talk. Today should be a day when we come together to support the remarkable women who are putting that talk into action, creating a healthier and more equitable future for us all.
