World Vision Ghana has sounded the alarm on child hunger and malnutrition with the launch of its ambitious “ENOUGH” campaign in the Tempane District of the Upper East Region, marking a significant step in the fight for every child’s right to food and nutrition.
The three-year nationwide initiative, first rolled out in 2024, seeks to end child hunger by strengthening food security systems, boosting local food production, and pushing for urgent policy reforms in nutrition support. The campaign also amplifies World Vision’s collaboration with key state agencies and community stakeholders to combat alarming child malnutrition statistics in Ghana.
“Enough is enough. Every child has a right to sufficient, nutritious food, and we can no longer look away,” declared Mr Joseph Edwin Yelkabong, Bawku Cluster Area Programme Manager at World Vision Ghana. He highlighted that the campaign responds to worsening hunger and malnutrition challenges across Sub-Saharan Africa—driven by climate change, economic hardship, and post-COVID shocks.
Ghana’s 2022 Demographic and Health Survey paints a grim picture: 18% of children are stunted, 12% underweight, and 49% suffer from some level of anaemia—figures that World Vision says are far beyond acceptable levels set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“This is not just a health issue—it’s a child rights emergency,” Mr Yelkabong said, emphasizing how hunger affects children’s access to education, health, and overall well-being.
Barbara Amegavie, Campaigns Coordinator at World Vision Ghana, explained that ENOUGH would reinforce existing programmes like the Healthy Environment and Wellness (HEAL) and Livelihood Enhancement and Family Empowerment (LIFE) to promote household food production and school feeding support.
“Our goal is to ensure every child receives adequate nutrition both at home and at school,” she said, noting that the campaign would incorporate food demonstrations, school gardening initiatives, and sanitation promotion to drive behavioral change around food consumption and hygiene.
The project will also work closely with the Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, and the Department of Agriculture to ensure coordinated action.
Tempane District Director of Agriculture, Mr Ibrahim Jamal Deen, stressed that boosting food production at the local level is critical to fighting hunger. He encouraged farmers to take advantage of government agricultural support programmes to enhance yields and reduce food costs.
Tempane District Chief Executive, Mr Joseph Mbila, praised the ENOUGH initiative as a timely intervention, urging all community leaders and development partners to support the campaign and ensure no child goes to bed hungry.
As part of the launch event, World Vision Ghana also recognized schools that excelled in the organisation’s WASH league table, reinforcing the vital link between nutrition, hygiene, and education in child development.
