African Nations Will Not Meet SDG To End Child Malnutrition By 2030, Detailed Maps Show

BBC News: Africa ‘set to miss U.N. development goal on malnutrition’
“Exceptionally detailed maps of child growth and education across Africa suggest that no single country is set to end childhood malnutrition by 2030. That target was set by the U.N. as a Sustainable Development Goal. However, the new maps, which give detail to the level of an individual village, show that almost every nation has at least one region where children’s health is improving…” (Gill, 3/1).

The Guardian: Africa ‘very, very far away’ from meeting global target to end child malnutrition
“…The research, comprised of two papers published in the science journal Nature, is the first of its kind to identify local hotspots for poor child nutrition and low education levels across 51 African countries. By using maps of local health and education data, in 5×5 sq km across the whole continent, researchers identified variations at state and county level missed from previous comparisons. Simon Hay, senior author of the papers and director of geospatial science at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said the U.N. global goal of ending childhood malnutrition was always quoted as an ‘aspirational’ target…” (McVeigh, 3/1).

Nature: Stunting in Africa’s children mapped town by town
“…Despite progress in reducing malnourishment and promoting education across Africa, the authors find striking local differences. In parts of southern Nigeria, for example, girls received an average of 11 years of schooling, whereas in some northern areas of the country, the average was less than two years. Enabling decision-makers to target specific communities in the greatest need could help to reduce inequality, the authors say” (2/28).

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