Addressing Childhood Stunting in Lesotho

In Lesotho, 33% of all children never reach their true cognitive potential because they face chronic nutritional deficits in their first 1000 days, a critical time when brains and bodies are growing rapidly. Due to its lasting impact on the immune system, stunting is an underlying cause in about 45% of all child deaths. The national response in Lesotho has been fragmented and invests overly in school-age children, many of whom already have irreversible damage from stunting. Stunting rates have declined by only 1% a year over the last 10 years, leaving thousands of children affected. Our idea aims to reduce stunting by 20%. The innovation centres on improved access to and uptake of nutritionally complete fortified blended food (FBF) for all children aged 6 to 24 months in Lesotho, as the lynchpin of a comprehensive approach. Our proof of concept aims to inform the design of a government-led program against stunting which is comprehensive, sustainable, and achieves national scale.