Education is the biggest empowerment tool for any child to be successful in life. It is also essential for their potential economic mobility. Unfortunately, enrolling children in educational institutes does not guarantee the retention of information. Various factors are responsible for this disruption, the most noticeable being hunger. The effects of hunger on children and their education are staggering. It has been found out that chronic levels of hunger can affect students’ learning abilities and logical reasoning drastically.
What are the Consequences of Hunger on the Education of Children?
1. Affects Sleep Cycles
Food is the fundamental fuel that any organism requires to produce energy, in form of Calories. It is mandatory to carry out any life process. Latest research suggests that children who suffer from chronic hunger are not able to concentrate in class. Their memory span diminishes, affecting their retention power. Further, malnutrition can disturb sleep cycles in children. Therefore, children need proper nutrition for their wholesome development which would otherwise get hampered.
2. Degrades their Health
Malnutrition leaves children prone to chronic illnesses. It is a fact that nutrients are required to build a strong immune system, but many times, poverty cuts off a person’s access to these resources. Hunger-stricken children get sick easily, and thus, are not able to attend school. This hampers their educational journeys. Further, studies have proven that hunger is the major cause of mental health-related problems, including anxiety and depression.
3. Affects Behavior.
Hunger disrupts the behavior of children. They might act hostile towards others, or completely cut themselves off from social interactions. This eventually stunts their development process.
Now that we are familiar with the facts, let us now see what we, at an individual level, can do to eradicate hunger –
1. Support Hunger Annihilation Programmes
Many non-profit organizations are running hunger eradication programmes. You can support these by contributing to such programmes. One such organization is Wishes and Blessings, which is running the Wishes and Blessings Daily Meals Programme, feeding the underprivileged across 5 states of India, since 2015. The organization is also working towards providing educational opportunities for destitute children, amongst others. To know more, please click here.
2. Mass Feeding
You can do a weekly, monthly, or even occasional mass feeding for the destitute in your vicinity. You can incorporate basic home-cooked food and fruit juice, according to your budget. Doing this regularly gives a sense of gratification to the doer while the underprivileged get a plate of nutritious and wholesome food.
3. Each One, Feed One.
Even if we feed at least one child per day at an individual level, the situation of hunger amongst children would improve gradually. You can start making it a point to serve a nutritious meal to at least one destitute child, every day. This will help in their educational journey as well, giving a boost of energy to both mind and body.
Food is one of the three most essential factors required for survival. No child must be deprived of this blessing.
“Investing in early childhood nutrition is a surefire strategy. The returns are incredibly high.” – Anne M. Mulcahy.
About the Author
Khushaal Sharma is a Content Creator at Wishes and Blessings. He loves to make YouTube videos, write blogs and spend time with dogs. He firmly believes that endings always lead to new beginnings.