REMOTE WEST TIMOR ( CNN ) -- Maria 's labored breath echoes within the walls of her family 's mud hut . Her tiny , bony hands open and close in slow claw-like motions . Baby Maria weighs just 10 pounds at 15 months due to malnutrition in West Timor . She 's 15 months old , but weighs just 10 pounds -- one of countless children under the age of 5 facing severe malnutrition in Indonesia 's West Timor . A typical infant weighs about 24 pounds at 15 months . `` Maria sleeps most of the time . Sometimes she cries but not often , '' her 25-year-old mother Adolphina Fao says softly . Watch how malnutrition devastates region » . Maria is fighting to live , wasting away in her remote village where aid officials say climate change has brought on a severe drought in recent years . It 's nearly impossible for residents to live off the land like they have for generations . `` It 's hard to feed her , '' her mother says . `` Some are good days , some are bad . Sometimes she eats a whole plate , sometimes nothing . '' As Fao speaks , she spoons glutinous rice into Maria 's tiny mouth . The baby spits out most of it . Aid officials say Maria is one example of a chronic crisis that has been worsening in West Timor , the Indonesian portion of the island of Timor that is home to about 1.5 million people . See photographs of plight in this remote area » . According to a joint survey by aid groups Church World Service , Helen Keller International and CARE , more than 50 percent of children under 5 in West Timor are suffering from malnutrition . In some areas it 's as high as 70 percent -- a higher percentage than areas of Africa . Of those , nearly 1 in every 10 children suffer from acute malnutrition , meaning they are near death , according to organizers . The study also found that 61 percent of the children suffer from stunted growth . `` Stunting is the result of extended periods of inadequate food intake , poor dietary quality , increased morbidity or a combination of these factors , '' the study says . `` This finding indicates that the diet has been very poor quality for a very long time . '' Aid groups also warn that the situation is likely to worsen because of rising global food prices . Here , far-flung villages lie nestled in deceptively lush green landscape , with no real roads , no electricity and no running water . Barely clothed children play in the dirt . According to the survey , more than 90 percent of households do n't have enough food . Families try to farm the land , but the prolonged drought has destroyed their crops , cutting off their main food supply . That results in less food for each house , further eroding the supply of much-needed nutrition for young children . `` Nowadays the dry season is lasting longer and longer , '' says Vincensius Surma , the senior program manager for Church World Service , a global humanitarian agency . `` In 2006 and 2007 , the dry season lasted for a year . '' Dry riverbeds around the region are testament to his statement . Villagers have to walk for miles for water . Surma travels from remote village to remote village just to follow up on cases that his agency is treating . One of the families he revisits is Salmoun Ton 's . Two of his three children are malnourished . His eldest child has stunted growth . At 8 years old , she 's barely taller than her healthy 4-year-old sister . His youngest was severely malnourished and is still drastically underweight . Ton , a corn farmer , says that his crops are n't producing enough to sustain his family . `` It makes me sad , really sad . As a parent , I feel that I ca n't properly care for them , '' Ton says . Further compounding the crisis is a lack of basic education and health care , proper sanitary habits , and inadequate aid , according to humanitarian officials . On this visit , Surma finds out that Ton sold their fresh eggs -- a major source of protein -- to buy instant noodles . He then tries to explain basic nutrition to the family . `` We 're trying to do everything that we can , but for now the results are definitely not enough , '' Surma says . Aid organizations have unsuccessfully battled to bring this tragedy into the international spotlight . There are some donations coming in , but the funds and the resources simply are n't enough given the magnitude of the crisis . Organizations like Church World Service and CARE have established feeding and education centers to try to combat the crisis . The Indonesian government is also trying to address the crisis by supplying vitamin supplements to hard-hit families and other help , but aid groups say there is little cross coordination . `` We ca n't implement our mid- or long-term plan for this case because ... so many children are casualties of malnutrition in this region , '' Surma says . The main fear is that unless something drastic is done now , whole generations could be lost to acute and chronic malnutrition .
Indonesia 's West Timor faces crisis : 50 percent of children malnourished . Score: 6 Villager : ` ` As a parent , I feel that I ca n't properly care for them '' Aid groups say they 're seeking international help to address the issue .