Category: Social welfare

Despite significant efforts to combat malnutrition, UNICEF reports that in Pakistan alone, 4 out of 10 children under five are stunted, highlighting the persistent regional struggle with nutritional deficits. This global context provides important insight into the critical challenges facing Poshan Maah, the month-long Indian nutrition awareness campaign, and the broader Poshan Abhiyaan initiative.

Launched on January 6, 2025, Indonesia's *Makan Bergizi Gratis* (MBG), or the nutritious meal program in Indonesia, is a massive government initiative designed to provide free meals to millions of students and vulnerable citizens across the archipelago. The ambitious project was implemented to combat high malnutrition and stunting rates while boosting educational outcomes.

According to the World Bank, acute food insecurity increased for the sixth consecutive year in 2024, affecting over 295 million people globally, prompting new, holistic solutions. A nourish hub is one such innovative model, designed to address food poverty and social isolation by offering healthy, affordable meals and educational programs in a communal setting.

In 2024, approximately 23.2% of children under five suffered from stunted growth in India, highlighting the nation's significant challenge with malnutrition. In response, the country pursues the Zero Hunger Program, a multi-pronged strategy to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2) through various government schemes.

Launched in 1995 as the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education, the school nutrition program in India has become one of the world's largest government-run feeding initiatives, now known as PM POSHAN. The program aims to address classroom hunger by providing hot, cooked meals and tackle child malnutrition and low school enrollment, especially among vulnerable communities.

According to the National Nutrition Survey 2018, over 40% of children under five in Pakistan were stunted due to malnutrition. In response to this crisis, the Government of Pakistan, in collaboration with the World Food Programme, launched the Benazir Nashonuma Programme (BNP nutrition program) in 2020, targeting the critical first 1,000 days of life.