Some 220 million children throughout the world, from Niger to Pakistan, suffer from malnutrition, a malady that not only leads to serious health problems but also death. That number is unacceptable to an ambitious, energetic and caring group of URI students teaming up with a local nonprofit to raise money to fight the crisis. And they’re spreading their good deeds through a robust social media campaign called #MakeYourGreenCount that leads up to St. Patrick’s Day.

Not only are the students helping impoverished children they’re getting real-life experience in their major: public relations. If you’re wondering what they’ve been up to, take a peek at the sites they created on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and their fundraising page. They also worked with film media student Christian Rakotoarisoa ’16, to create a moving video suitable for sharing on social media.

“I’m so excited to be part of this project,’’ says David St. Amant ’16, of Warwick. “It’s a local campaign with a powerful global impact.’’

The collaboration with Edesia, which included a tour of the factory, gives students practical communications experience managing a fast-moving social media campaign, writing, presenting, and working as a team. Plus, students recognize the difference one can make locally and globally.

Donations go to Edesia, a Providence nonprofit that makes Plumpy’Nut, a vitamin-packed peanut-butter blend hailed as a miracle food to fight acute childhood malnutrition, and distributed by humanitarian partners in 44 countries throughout the world.

In the URI campaign, alumni, business leaders, public officials, local celebrities, and students are being asked to “get their green on” and donate $5 and challenge 10 others to do the same, the cost of a life-saving , seven-week treatment of Plumpy’Nut. Support continues to grow—from campus groups and area schools to businesses, including the oldest Irish pub in Rhode Island, and people are getting involved.

One of the great things about Plumpy’Nut is that it doesn’t need to be refrigerated, cooked or mixed with water. Kids can squeeze the ready-to-eat paste out of a foil package. It also has a long shelf life, crucial in tropical climates.

The URI students are grateful to be working as a team on such a worthy global project. “I have a passion for helping people,’’ says Sergio Suhett ’15, of North Kingstown. “This campaign caught my attention because of the children. There is no reason any child in the world should suffer.’’

But they do, and this troubles Kylie Rice ’15, of Bridgewater, N.J. She knows firsthand what hunger looks like. Two years ago, she volunteered at an orphanage in Ghana. Children survived on porridge and a few slices of bread. “It was so sad to see them go most of the day with so little to eat,’’ she says. “Plumpy’Nut could’ve made a difference.’’

The campaign is purposeful, but also useful. It gives Kimberly DeLande ’15, of East Providence, an opportunity to put into action what she has learned in her public relations classes at URI. She’s impressed that an organization in the smallest state in the country is bettering children’s lives on the other side of the world.

“Project-based learning prepares students for the workforce,” says Regina Bell, a lecturer in public relations at the Harrington School of Communication and Media at URI. “The collaboration with Edesia, which included a tour of the factory, gives students practical communications experience managing a fast-moving social media campaign, writing, presenting, and working as a team. Plus, students recognize the difference one can make locally and globally.”

DeLande agrees: “It’s amazing to find a group like Edesia in Rhode Island. We have small hometown roots in this state, but we want to do so many big things.’’