Some 854 million people around the globe do not have enough to eat, according to the FAO State of Food Insecurity in the World 2006 report. The dilemma on who to save has hit many hard, but as the article, In a time of famine, who should be saved?, illustrates the issue is not just one many families are forced to make, but also governments.
Is the international community spending to much time debating, or wasting aid? Many critics will say “yes” with out skipping a beat, as seen when looking at the US, the number one donor of food aid, as illistrated in U.S. Food Aid: We Pay for Shipping. The Business Week article highlights the effect of sending products over funds, which can significantly add to the detriment of food shortages. Can we afford to take such bureaucratic approach?
The harsh reality is that every five seconds a child dies because she or he is hungry. For many the problem seems distant, but in the wake of the growing food crisis the problem is coming closer and closer to home for many across the globe. The resources needed to end hunger and malnutrition do exist, however children are still not getting the adequate nutrition they need. While child survival has improved in the last twenty years, the progress remains slow, leaving children to continue to suffer needlessly. The effects of malnurished mothers are passed onto thier children, as infants are born underweight, under five child mortality rates remain high, and malnurishment and undernurishment are responsible for stunting and mental underdevelopment.
Just this week we saw the World Bank revise poverty figures, to show a substancial increase in the number of people around the world living in extreme poverty, putting the new figure at 1.4 billion. The Bank's new numbers come following an adjustment in the deep poverty measure from $1 per day to $1.25 (Times). The World Bank urged the international community to expand the fight against poverty.
As World Food Day approaches on October 16th, people are left asking what needs to be done and how do we ensure we are on the right road to end hunger for millions of children? The question remains; Does the International community pick favorites, just as we would when faced with deciding who to help? And if so, how does playing favorites on a global scale affect those waiting for someone to help them? One can only hope that the Committee on World Food Security, which is meeting in connection with World Food Day, from 14 to 17 October 2008, will find answers and solutions to end global hunger.
Part 2 of 2
Links:
Hunger Facts
World Food Program (WFP)
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
World Food Day
World Food Day USA
Global Crisis in Food Prices Increases Vulnerability of Children – Save the Children
