Rima Patel

Mrs. Lucarelli

Honors World History

23 April 2018

Yesterday

Malnutrition has been significantly impacting people in Ethiopia and is leading to a

numerous amount of deaths. I chose this issue because it is important to take notice of this

ongoing situation in poverty-stricken countries. More people need to be aware of the situation

other countries are in.

In 1984 to 1985, Ethiopia had been hit with a very large famine which caused one

million deaths (A History of Famine In Africa). Fortunately, organizations and campaigns such

as United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) took action towards this

issue. By the 1990’s, Ethiopia had increased its child mortality rates by more than half (Maasho).

Ethiopia has had the highest poverty rates in the world and they depend on agriculture as their

main source of food because they are below the poverty line (How We're Fighting Hunger).

They go through multiple droughts which affects their ability to grow crops and causes livestock

to die out (Johnston). Additionally, many people in Ethiopia are low-income families and cannot

afford enough food for themselves, let alone their own families. There are also countless diseases

such as malaria, measles, and respiratory infections in Ethiopia (Common Nutritional Problems).

People who are sick may need a greater amount of nutrients to get better. Children are

predominantly affected because their bodies are still developing. Forty-four percent of children

under five years old experience stunting which impedes growth (Ethiopia: Nutrition Profile).
They are mentally and physically unable to develop because their bodies are not receiving the

right nutrients to properly function.

All of these points are crucial causes of malnutrition. Many Ethiopians are unable to

provide for themselves and their own families. Lives are being lost due to an insufficient amount

of nutrients and this issue needs to be resolved.