At any moment, more than 50 million children under five are experiencing wasting, a preventable and treatable illness also known as acute malnutrition. Each year, nearly 2 million children die from this condition. We have a solution, yet just 20% of children in need receive this lifesaving care.

In late 2022, the United States led the mobilization of more than $500 million to accelerate action on child wasting. This injection of new funding and political support provides opportunity to reform the treatment system and close the deadly treatment gap.

The IRC, together with 12 peer organizations, wrote to USAID Administrator Samantha Power to welcome the unprecedented US investment to treat child wasting and to encourage immediate actions that can help reach more children with lifesaving treatment, more cost-effectively.

The letter outlines how US leadership can help address the current challenges in delivering wasting treatment by leveraging evidence-based treatment approaches to close the treatment gap.

Available documents & links