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Clean water reduces child stunting in Mozambique — Level A2 — woman in white shirt and orange skirt walking on gray concrete pathway during daytime

Clean water reduces child stunting in MozambiqueCEFR A2

31 Dec 2025

Adapted from Tracy DeStazio - Notre Dame, Futurity CC BY 4.0

Photo by Farah Nabil, Unsplash

Level A2 – High beginner / Elementary
2 min
97 words

In Mozambique more than one in three children under five were stunted in 2022, and 4% had wasting. A study from the University of Notre Dame, published in the journal Children, used national survey data collected in 2022–23.

Researchers compared two WASH measures: source of drinking water and type of toilet. They found that improved access to safe drinking water reduced the odds of stunting by about 20%. After accounting for household and child factors, improved sanitation did not show an independent effect on stunting, and neither water nor sanitation had a clear link to wasting.

Difficult words

  • stuntedshort for their age because of poor nutrition
  • wastingvery low weight for age from illness or hunger
  • sanitationsystems for clean toilets and waste removal
  • surveya study that asks many people questions
  • improvedmade better or safer than before
  • oddschance or probability that something will happen

Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.

Discussion questions

  • Do you think safe drinking water can help children's growth? Why?
  • Have you seen improved toilets or water sources in your community? Describe them.
  • What household or child factors do you think affect a child's growth?

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