In war-torn countries like Sudan, Haiti, and parts of the DRC, more children than ever are born into hunger.
Conflicts, instability, and climate disasters have created the perfect storm.
A quiet crisis with deadly consequences
Few have heard of it. Yet the small red-and-white foil packet filled with peanut paste (RUTF) has quietly become one of the most effective lifesaving tools in global health.
It contains calorie-dense blend of peanuts, milk powder, sugar, oils, and essential vitamins and minerals.
It doesn’t need refrigeration, water, or cooking. It’s easy to distribute. And it works fast.
But now, warehouses around the world are running empty. And for more than 110,000 children, that means danger. The kind you don’t recover from.
One man’s decision has global consequences
The cause of this looming disaster isn’t a natural catastrophe. It’s political.
Since Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president in January, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has faced massive budget cuts.
USAID has long been the world’s largest producer and distributor of RUTF. But within weeks of Trump’s inauguration, manufacturers received orders to halt production.
Warehouses have closed. Staff have been laid off. And the children are left without the nutrition they need to survive.
Organizations like Save the Children have been forced to shut down offices and cut essential programs.
Not just due to U.S. cuts, but also because several European countries are slashing aid budgets to fund military spending.
This article is based on reporting from TV 2.
This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.