After World War II, General Mark Clark said the U.S. military’s role in Austria was to be “constructive, not destructive.” Child feeding programs were one vital way the U.S. military went about helping Austria recover from the war.
Today, child feeding is also a part of the U.S. military’s mission in Afghanistan through the Strong Food project. It is this food initiative which combats severe malnutrition in small Afghan children. In a country with a high infant mortality rate, Strong Food can make a world of difference.
Children who do not receive proper nutrients early in life can face severe physical and mental damage. In Afghanistan, many children lose their lives because they do not get the foods they need to thrive.
According to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), “Afghanistan has some of the poorest health statistics globally” with “infant mortality (165 per 1,000 live births) and under-5 mortality (257 per 1,000 live births).” In addition, WFP reports that child malnutrition has been on the rise. A study found that in 22 provinces in Afghanistan, “child global acute malnutrition (GAM) increased from 7 percent in 2004 to 16.7 percent in 2008, above the emergency threshold of 15 percent. GAM among children under 2 is significantly higher than among older children. “
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