Child Health

Almost half of all deaths for children under 5 are attributable to malnutrition — this is why improving nutrition is imperative to achieving USAID’s global maternal and child survival goals. Climate change, conflict, and the lasting impacts of COVID-19 have all exacerbated rates of global malnutrition and contributed to the global food security and hunger crisis. Learn how health workers are leading the charge for change.

In Uganda, Joseph learns that playing with his children is critical to their cognitive, social, and emotional development. In Rwanda, Jeanne learns how to cook nutritious meals for her family and practice positive parenting. And, in Cambodia, 4-year-old Sreyno learns how to walk for the first time on new prosthetic legs.

Vaccines are powerful tools for saving lives, stopping the spread of infectious diseases, and helping communities thrive. When individuals are fully protected from the threat of vaccine-preventable diseases, they can stay in school, care for their families, and contribute to the economic growth of their countries. Yet, to ultimately support long lives well-lived, we must go from vaccines to vaccination.

From emperors in ancient Rome to toddlers in sub-Saharan Africa today, people have been dying from malaria for thousands of years. Over the last century, innovative technologies and scientific breakthroughs have supported more than 100 countries, including the United States, to successfully eliminate malaria from within their borders. Yet for more than half the world, malaria remains a leading cause of death and hospitalizations, particularly for young children and pregnant women.

As the leading infectious killer of children under five years old, pneumonia causes an estimated 800,000 deaths each year, with the majority in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Yet most pneumonia-related deaths are preventable through high-impact interventions and practices.

Immunizations not only save lives, but they enable children, women, and families to thrive. When individuals are fully protected from the threat of vaccine preventable diseases, they can stay in school, care for and support their families, and contribute to the economic growth of their communities and countries.