This article investigates child nutrition in rural Ethiopia, examining anthropometric information collected on children aged below 5 years in 1995, and again almost 10 years later for the now young adults in 2004. It finds that children who were malnourished in their early years are far more likely to be stunted 10 years later on. The article examines the role that food aid plays in mitigating the impact of adverse events and finds that it does have a lasting effect and could have even more impact if well targeted and delivered. The findings underline the importance of investing in early childhood nutrition and tailoring public programmes to meet the needs of children. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.