UNICEF’s 2020 flagship report ‘UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children’ reveals that acute hunger is on the rise globally. COVID-19 has caused wide-spread economic instability, disrupted
critical humanitarian services and caused food insecurity on a devastating scale – rolling back decades of progress in
the fight against hunger and malnutrition.
This week, Dan Carter and Kaytee Boyd are voicing their support for UNICEF New Zealand’s ‘Don’t let the Future Starve’ campaign.
Dan and Kaytee are sharing with their followers the power of Plumpy’Nut, a life-saving peanut paste for hungry kids.
This life-saving therapeutic food is critical in the fight against malnutrition. Each sachet is just 50 cents, and 3
sachets a day for 6-8 weeks is enough to nourish a malnourished child back to health.
UNICEF is the world’s largest supplier of therapeutic food, using it to save the lives of millions of children every
year.
Boyd says peanuts are well-suited for supporting malnourished children. “They call it the oil nut because it's just
about 50% fat. And for anyone who's malnourished, it's a good source of carbohydrates, good source of protein and an
excellent source of fat.”
Carter saw first-hand the challenges for families in a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan last year and as a father himself
was moved by the experience. “I walked away feeling really inspired that they can live like they do and still laugh and
smile. It just puts everything into perspective, but it’s sad. We're just so lucky to have what we have in New Zealand,
it was an amazing life-changing experience.”
“The more of these [Plumpy’Nut sachets] we can get into kids hands, the more lives we can save” says Carter. “It is like
cookie dough, the texture tastes like peanuts.”
“I just feel so grateful to be in the position that we're not relying on something like this [Plumpy’Nut] to keep us
alive. In parts of the world where kids don't have access to the right nutrients, the right vitamins and food, to have a
sachet like this that can literally save their life – that's incredible.”
In Yemen, COVID-19 led to a 10 per cent increase in cases of acute malnutrition. Children in the Pacific were affected
by Tropical Cyclone Harold in April 2020 and the pandemic added another layer of complexity, disrupting the delivery of
humanitarian aid. 1 in 3 children in the Solomons are stunted and missing out on the vital nutrients they need to grow.
In 2021, UNICEF and partners aim to treat 6.3 million severely malnourished children. If left untreated, the
consequences of malnutrition can be dire.
“Brain development in the first two years of life is critical,” says Boyd. “So if you don't get enough of the right
nutrients, you can have things like growth retardation, failure to thrive, not reach full adult height, cognition issues
and heart problems.”
UNICEF New Zealand’s Board Chair, Linda Jenkinson, says that “We are honoured to partner with Dan and Kaytee to raise
awareness of good nutrition. Globally one third of children under 5 years are malnourished and two thirds are at risk of
malnutrition. We must invest in tamariki so that future generations in Aotearoa, the Pacific and around the world are
strong.”
UNICEF New Zealand’s Don’t Let The Future Starve campaign
Join Dan and Kaytee to support malnourished children. Visit: unicef.nz/peanutpaste