A better world

Malnutrition is a global crisis.

Download our new investment case

One in three people globally are malnourished.

Malnutrition is a tax on human potential, denying mothers safe pregnancies, infants proper growth and development, children and adolescents the ability to learn, and entire countries the human capital they need for economic development. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

With a funding goal of $1 billion, our new investment case represents our vision for the world and how we know it can be. It is also our plan for getting there. Because it is possible to build a better world that works for everyone, but it can’t be done without ending malnutrition.

Breaking the cycle

A bold plan to reshape the global nutrition landscape.

As a global community, we have the tools and knowledge to address malnutrition and stop the intergenerational cycles of poverty and inequality that persist when good nutrition is not prioritized.

Together, we can break the cycle of malnutrition.

Why Nutrition?

Proper nutrition makes everything possible.

Ending the Status Quo

Malnutrition represents a staggering multigenerational burden that affects not only individuals and their families, but also their communities, countries and the entire world. People experiencing poverty are hit the hardest, as malnutrition weakens their health and robs them of future opportunities, limiting their chances of escaping poverty and building a better life for themselves and their children.

However, with the right nutrition at the right time, we can safeguard health, strengthen immune systems and promote brain development and cognition, increasing the probability that children will enjoy greater academic achievement and improved future opportunities. Well-nourished populations are healthier and more productive, and nutrition security is a crucial vehicle for enabling peace and building stable, resilient countries.

Around the world, people are facing unprecedented and intersecting challenges that jeopardize their health and futures. Pandemics, conflicts, economic turbulence, climate shocks and increasing levels of debt continue to threaten hard-won development gains and risk the lives and potential of an entire generation.

On their own, each of these factors would pose an enormous challenge for those most likely to face malnutrition. Taken together, they represent an urgent crisis that is deepening existing inequalities and straining systems and infrastructure around the globe. As ever, those who can least afford it — women, adolescent girls and children — pay the biggest price.

For more than 30 years, Nutrition International has been a leader in improving the nutritional status, health and wellbeing of people living in vulnerable situations around the world, with a focus on women, adolescent girls and children. We are at the forefront of the global nutrition effort, conducting cutting-edge research and delivering life-saving nutrition interventions, all while keeping the needs of those we serve — and the challenges they face — at the centre of all we do.

Our goal is simple: eliminate malnutrition and break the cycle of poverty and inequality — and in doing so, save lives, improve health, strengthen health systems and generate significant, lasting social and economic benefits.

Our plan

Reshaping the global nutrition landscape.

Our new investment case is a plan for creating a better future for millions of people. Drawing on our expertise and decades of operational experience, it leverages the relationships that we have built and the progress we have made to achieve the greatest measurable result for the world.

By the Numbers

Securing the health and wellbeing of millions.

The nutrition programs in this investment case are efficient, cost-effective and evidence based. The result is one of the highest returns of any development intervention: $28 for each dollar invested — and millions of lives changed for the better.

Health Impacts

50M

cases of anaemia averted in adolescent girls, children, pregnant women and women of reproductive age

4M

cases of stunting prevented among children under the age of five

750K

child deaths averted

Human Capital Impacts

29M

children gain additional IQ points and an improved ability to learn

4M

children receive at least one additional year of schooling

Cost Savings

$5B

healthcare costs to countries saved by preventing disability and disease

$2B

out-of-pocket expenses to individuals and families saved by preventing disability and disease

$7B

total healthcare costs saved

Economic Benefits

$109B

economic value generated through improved health outcomes (averted death and disease)

$7B

healthcare costs saved by preventing disability and disease

$116B

in total economic benefits generated

Nutrition Funding

$1B

additional funds leveraged for nutrition

NCDs

1M

cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) averted*

* NCD estimates are based on effects over the lifetime of individuals and are based on peer-reviewed modelling from other contexts. Global evidence on how specific interventions translate into impacts is still being developed, which increases uncertainty and requires more assumptions about NCDs-related impacts.

NOTE: All dollar values are Canadian Dollars (CAD).

Our vision

Creating a world that works for everyone.

Download our Second Investment Case

Our Investment Case 2025–2031 represents our vision for the world and how we know it can be.

It is also our plan for getting there. It is possible to end poverty and build a better world that works for everyone, but it can’t be done without ending malnutrition.

We’re dedicated to driving that change. Join us.