Two-thirds of African children don't officially exist -- they don't have birth certificates, reports theHuffington Post. A story from a World Bank official describes the role of iodine and other vital nutrients in overcoming poverty.

"How come something so apparently trivial and so early -- like not having a piece of paper that says who you are -- can hurt you so badly and so permanently? Well, it turns out that your chances to succeed in life are quickly spoiled by things that can happen to you long before you arrive in a school, if you ever do. And even if those things don't happen, it is still not certain that you will make it. Crazy, isn't it? Welcome to the drama, the frustration, the promise, and the beauty of early childhood development.

"Nutrition is the best example of how this works. We do not know exactly for how long an infant needs to be undernourished before she starts to lose cognitive capacity (some scientists say that a month is enough). What we know for sure is that a lack of iodine or iron, and sheer stunting, before the age of two will probably shave some 10 points off your IQ -- forever. (Remember, the average person's IQ is only 100). With that kind of intellectual handicap, the odds are that you will not get a good job, ever. Your luck will be all but sealed from the beginning, in slow-motion, right in front of the eyes of parents, governments and donors."