How crucial are the first 1,000 days of someone’s life? Very, says Future Fortified. It’s all about good nutrition during the 1,000 days from a woman’s pregnancy to her child’s second birthday, and lack of adequate nutrition during this time can impact a child’s future development more than one would think.
“Unfortunately, the impact of poor nutrition during the first 1,000 days is irreversible… we cannot treat the damage that has been done to physical and cognitive development.”
Despite this, many women and their children around the world suffer severe malnutrition at this early stage, which claims the lives of three million children every year. Four in ten children in poor countries suffer from malnutrition that damages their brains and bodies and Save the Children have even stated that malnourished children are 20 per cent less able to read.
The 1,00 Days partnership aims to put an end to this. Launched in September 2010 by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a community of global leaders, the partnership brings together governments, the private sector and civil society organisations to improve nutrition standards for mothers and children during this significant 1,000 day window.
Focusing on proper nutrition during this relatively short period of time can have a large impact on the individual and the society they live in. When a child isn’t receiving the nutrition they need, their capacity to learn is reduced significantly, leading to poorer performance in school. Malnourished children are never able to reach their full potential due to lack of the right foods during the early stages of their lives, which means that they are unable to contribute efficiently to the economy they live in.
Additionally, malnutrition during the first 1,000 days causes greater intolerance towards infections and diseases. Time spent in a classroom or the workplace is instead spent in a hospital, stunting opportunities to earn a living for themselves and their families and forever increasing the unceasing cycle of poverty. By providing mothers and their children with the correct diet, we could be taking a big step towards the elimination of poverty and allowing many countries all over the world to finally fulfil their true potential.
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