Global Nutrition and Health Programs

Bread for the World urges Congress to fully fund and strengthen global nutrition and health programs that promote human flourishing and help keep America safe, strong, and prosperous.

KEY PROGRAMS

Global Nutrition

Around the world, undernourished children suffer from stunting, anemia, acute malnutrition, or worse, early death. These conditions are exacerbated by conflict, climate disasters, and economic disparities. Global nutrition programs funded by the U.S. help protect and nourish children by supporting breastfeeding, nutrient-rich diets and supplements, therapeutic treatments for malnourished children, healthy school meals, and local capacity building.

Maintaining the current funding level, $165 million, would prevent stunting for more than 34,000 children, treat 185,000 women with anemia, provide 110,000 mothers with breastfeeding support, and deliver life-saving treatment to 61,000 children experiencing severe malnutrition.

We urge Congress to robustly fund the global nutrition programs that prevent and treat malnutrition, especially among children.

Food for Peace

Conflict and climate disasters have increased global food insecurity. The Food for Peace program supports vulnerable populations facing natural disasters, conflict, and chronic food insecurity. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, the U.S. government reached more than 45 million people with emergency food and nutrition assistance in 35 countries, with U.S. farmers contributing significantly through the export of food commodities. Food for Peace also helps with local food purchasing, food vouchers, and market-based assistance.

We urge Congress to protect and strengthen the Food for Peace program—including both U.S. commodities and local food purchases that strengthen local markets and resilience.

McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program

The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program (McGovern-Dole) provides U.S.-grown commodities, economic aid, and technical assistance to low-income, food-deficit countries to establish school feeding programs for preschool and primary school children. In FY23, McGovern-Dole reached more than 2.5 million food-insecure children during the school year across 34 countries.

We urge Congress to robustly fund the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition program.

Feed the Future

Feed the Future is a whole-of-government bipartisan global food security initiative that, in its first decade, helped more than 23 million people transition out of poverty and helped 5 million families be food secure. The initiative supports sustainable agriculture, resilience, and market development efforts, with support from the Feed the Future Innovation Labs. These labs develop new solutions to pressing food security challenges and support land-grant universities.

We urge Congress to fully fund and strengthen global food security programs, including Feed the Future and Feed the Future Innovation Labs.

Global Health Programs

Since the turn of the millennium, U.S.-funded global health programs have saved more than 25 million lives around the world. These efforts fundamentally complement nutrition programs, ensuring that children and families can thrive. Global health programs often enable people to experience the full benefit of nutrition initiatives, while robust nutrition is a foundation for effective health interventions.

Programs like PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and the GAVI Vaccine Alliance help prevent and treat infectious diseases, increase child immunization access in low-income countries, and provide medically necessary nutrition support for people undergoing treatment for HIV/AIDS. PEPFAR’s statutory reauthorization expired on March 25, 2025, and continues to operate through annual appropriations, but the program’s future is uncertain.

We urge Congress to fully fund global health programs, including PEPFAR, maternal and child health, the GAVI Vaccine Alliance, and programs that enhance early childhood development.