Chronic malnutrition stalks poor children in Ecuador

Child malnutrition is chronic among Ecuador’s 18 million inhabitants and is one of the "biggest public health problems" facing the country, U.N. health officials have warned.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, one in three Ecuadorian children suffers from malnutrition. Of those, 40.7% are Indigenous, though Indigenous communities make up only 7% of the population. In its latest report, UNICEF says 50% of Ecuadorian households with children had difficulty obtaining the necessary food in 2021 due to the pandemic.

As a result, 27% of children had their development compromised due to chronic malnutrition, the agency says. The government of President Guillermo Lasso has pledged to combat chronic malnutrition by spending $350 million a year to improve health, family, education and counselling services.