Here in Nigeria, and around the world, programmes too often fail to deliver the diet that children aged 5-19 need to thrive, says Tolulope Jayeola, who is a Youth Partner of the NGO Emergency Nutrition Network. She introduces a new paper that sets out how they can get better food and a real voice in programmes, with a core demand of at least one nutritious meal a day.
I have never been to an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, but I’ve heard and read enough to know what many teenagers experience there. Families are crammed into temporary shelters, with limited food and water. The small food portions most typically get from humanitarian food programmes might be enough to survive – but adolescents in those families have extra nutrition needs as they are growing and learning.
The fact is getting “enough to survive” is not enough for adolescents – those aged 10-19 – in humanitarian emergencies. Often the rations do not meet their specific vitamin and mineral needs, such as iron, calcium, vitamin A and zinc. The challenges are especially acute for adolescent girls, who often eat last and eat less. Often, they’re also forced into early responsibilities or even early marriages, further compounding the cycle of malnutrition and poverty.
‘Without micronutrients, adolescents suffer what nutritionists call “hidden hunger”. This silent form of malnutrition weakens immunity, reduces capacity to learn and increases risks in any future pregnancies.’
Young people in unstable situations often turn to ultra-processed foods such as instant noodles, which are cheap and convenient, but lack any micronutrients. Without micronutrients, adolescents suffer what nutritionists call “hidden hunger.” This silent form of malnutrition weakens immunity, reduces capacity to learn and increases risks in any future pregnancies. In effect, it shortchanges the potential of a youth before they’ve even begun life.
I am a Youth Partner from Nigeria for Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN) and I’m writing this because we want to highlight how, in emergency response situations, the nutrition of all school-age children (those aged 5-19, which includes adolescents who are 10-19), is being neglected. Too often, programmes focus on giving extra nutritional support to the under-fives and pregnant women only. Older children and adolescents are left out, despite their heightened and important nutritional needs in one of the most critical periods of development. It’s a time of accelerated body and mind development that sets the stage for a healthy adult life.
That’s why at ENN, we have just published a new report highlighting the need to transform how we approach improving nutrition for school-age children in humanitarian settings.
As a young dietitian, I’ve worked on school feeding programs and seen how dietary interventions can transform young lives. Providing one fortified meal per day can drastically improves concentration and performance in school. That’s why there needs to be better consideration of adolescent needs when providing emergency food relief, ensuring that it contains enough iron, protein, vitamins, and other nutrients. Adolescent girls are especially vulnerable during emergencies because of biological changes and gender disparities. Keeping schools open, or providing adolescent-friendly spaces, which includes provision of nutritious meals, should also be a priority, even in emergency situations. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic taught us innovative ways of keeping school meals functioning even when it isn’t safe for schools to open, lessons we need to apply in current and future emergency contexts.
Support young people to shape policy and listen to what they say
I’ve seen youth organisations protest gender-based violence, demand action on climate, and mobilize peer education clubs. Why can’t we unleash the same energy in nutrition advocacy, especially in crises? When young people are given a voice, they speak powerfully about what they need. They understand what’s missing. They know the social and cultural barriers that render them malnourished and they can devise better solutions – ones that engage their fellow young people better than adult-led initiatives – because they have lived through the problems that need to be fixed. I have met intelligent, passionate Nigerian youth with clear voices and creative ideas. They need not be victims of malnutrition, they can be advocates for better nutrition
‘I’ve seen youth organisations protest gender-based violence and demand action on climate… Why can’t we unleash the same energy in nutrition advocacy, especially in crises?’
I therefore appeal to humanitarian practitioners, NGOs, and governments to bring adolescents into the heart of decision-making, especially in nutrition and humanitarian contexts, allowing them to have an active role in solving the problems affecting them. Young people should also be adequately prepared with knowledge and tools to advocate for their rights and own their future.
Our report contains many recommendations that can help change things but some of our key recommendations include:
- The provision of one nutritious meal per day in school, or, where schools are not operational, via community interventions.
- Better research to understand and regulate the food environments of school-age children, with a specific focus on ultra-processed foods high in fat, salt, and sugar, and food in schools.
- Including adolescents’ voices in emergency response plans and using their preferred platforms for outreach purposes.
- Every humanitarian agency should have a youth engagement policy.
- Routine monitoring of 5–19-year-olds’ nutritional status to inform emergency responses.
- New and specific UN global guidance, indicators, and targets for the nutrition of school-age children and adolescents.
Your voice matters
To my fellow young people: even if you’re not in an IDP camp, I say your voice matters. Use it. Speak up for your peers in crisis. Advocate for school meals, push for nutrition policies in your state, and support campaigns that demand better food systems. If young people are adequately nourished physically, mentally and socially, they become resilient. They rise above hardship. They shape their communities. They rebuild nations. Let us stop making them beg for survival and start giving them the tools to thrive. Their future is every community’s future. That future depends on getting nutrition policy and programming for all young people right. Let’s start now.
Author
Read ENN’s full report: Towards a practical guide: A scoping review of nutrition programming, policy, and evidence for school-age children and adolescents in humanitarian contexts | ENN.
Thanks to Natasha Lelijveld of ENN for her support with producing this blog.