Starvation. Aid. Need. Help. Death. Life.
Why do people starve and die?
Why do people help and try?
In the Introduction section to the book "Banker to the Poor", Muhammad Yunus sums um the motivation of humanitarian aid and the reason why these things are happening and the reason why people help in the midst of overwhelming odds. Here is what was written...
"In the year 1974 Bangladesh fell into the grip of famine. The university where I taught and served as head of the Economics Department was located in the southeastern extremity of the country, and at first we did not pay much attention to the newspaper stories of death and starvation in the remote villages of the north. But then skeleton-like people began showing up in the railway stations and bus stations of the capital, Dhaka. Soon this trickle became a flood. Hungry people were everywhere. Often they sat so still that one could not be sure whether they were alive or dead. They all looked alike: men, women, children. Old people looked like children, and children looked like old people.
The government opened gruel kitchens. But every new gruel kitchen ran out of rice. Newspaper reporters tried to warn the nation of the extent of the famine. Research instituations collected statistics on the sources and causes of the sudden migration to the cities. Religious organizations mobilized groups to pick up the dead bodies from the streets and bury them with the proper rites. But soon the simple act of collecting the dead became a larger task then these groups were equipped to handle.
The starving people did not chant any slogans. They did not demand anything from us well-fed city folk. They simply lay down very quietly on our doorsteps and waited to die.
There are many ways for people to die, but somehow dying of starvation is the most unacceptable of all. It happens in slow motion. Second by second, the distance between life and death becomes smaller and smaller, until the two are in such close proximity that one can hardly tell the difference. Like sleep, death by starvation happens so quietly, so inexorably, one does not even sense it happening. And all for lack of a handful of rice at each meal. In this world of plenty, a tiny baby, who does not yet understand the mystery of the world, is allowed to cry and cry and finally fall asleep without the milk she needs to survive. The next day she may not have the strength to continue living.
I used to feel a thrill at teaching my students the elegant economic theories thhat could supposedly cure societal problems of all types. But in 1974, I started to dread my own lectures. What good were all of my complex theories when people were dying of starvation on the sidewalks and porches across from my lecture hall? My lessons were like the American movies where the good guys always win. But when I emerged from the comfort of the classroom, I was faced with the reality of the city streets. Here good guys were mercilessly beaten and trampled. Daily life was getting worse, and the poor were growing even poorer.
Nothing in the economic theories I taught reflected the life around me. How could I go on telling my students make believe stories in the name of economics? I wanted to become a fugitive from academic life. I needed to run away from these theories and form my textbooks and discover the real-life economics of a poor person's existence.
My repeated trips to the villages around the Chittagong University campus led me to discoveries that were essential to establishing my life's work. The poor taught me an entirely new economics. I learned about the problems that they face from their own perspective. I tried a great number of things. Some worked. Others did not. I was only trying to relieve my guilt and satisfy my desire to be useful to a few starving human beings. But it did not stop with a few people. Those who survived would not let it. And after a while, neither would I."
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Starvation Situations
Starvation is not a social justice issue that is unknown or comes at us from unawares. It is something that we should and can predict, and it is something that we desperately need to predict. There are several starvation situations that we can identify beforehand, prepare for beforehand, and hopefully weather during it.
Drought. When many African countries do not have rain for long stretches of time, this becomes a massive problem. Drought kills the ability for people to raise crops, feed their livestock, have clean or unclean water, and be able to make a living. Whether the drought ruins the ability for people to earn money or inhibits the ability for people to raise food - it simply is a life-stopper. It stops people from eating. It stops people from buying and selling. It just stops people. But we should be able to identify where droughts will happen. With all of the meteorology abilities that we have - we should be able to identify the area where a drought will happen. In order to help these people, we need to identify where droughts are most likely to happen.
Natural Disasters. Our meteorology abilities should be able to help us better prepare for natural disasters, as well. We live in an age with too much innovation, technology, and effectiveness to keep having these natural disasters surprise developing countries and devostate their people. So many people starve to death in all of the rucus from natural disasters. We can better help them if we can better prepare beforehand for these disasters. These are things that we have to identify before they happen so that we can adequately prepare for the people to survive these disasters.
Violence, War, Etc. Many people die from starvation when their lives are torn apart by violence and war. These are also things that we can identify with some warning so that we can prepare to help people. When wars and violence break out, we can see the warning signs beforehand. We can identify these dangerous situations so that we can prepare to sustain through them.
Starvation happens when people who are hanging onto life by a single thread have something catastrophic happen to break that string. Drought, natural disasters, wars and violence - these are the things that disrupt people's lives so much that there is no more room left for error. We have to identify these situations beforehand so that we can better prepare to help these struggling individuals.
We have the ability. Now we have to have the mindset. No more starvation.
Drought. When many African countries do not have rain for long stretches of time, this becomes a massive problem. Drought kills the ability for people to raise crops, feed their livestock, have clean or unclean water, and be able to make a living. Whether the drought ruins the ability for people to earn money or inhibits the ability for people to raise food - it simply is a life-stopper. It stops people from eating. It stops people from buying and selling. It just stops people. But we should be able to identify where droughts will happen. With all of the meteorology abilities that we have - we should be able to identify the area where a drought will happen. In order to help these people, we need to identify where droughts are most likely to happen.
Natural Disasters. Our meteorology abilities should be able to help us better prepare for natural disasters, as well. We live in an age with too much innovation, technology, and effectiveness to keep having these natural disasters surprise developing countries and devostate their people. So many people starve to death in all of the rucus from natural disasters. We can better help them if we can better prepare beforehand for these disasters. These are things that we have to identify before they happen so that we can adequately prepare for the people to survive these disasters.
Violence, War, Etc. Many people die from starvation when their lives are torn apart by violence and war. These are also things that we can identify with some warning so that we can prepare to help people. When wars and violence break out, we can see the warning signs beforehand. We can identify these dangerous situations so that we can prepare to sustain through them.
Starvation happens when people who are hanging onto life by a single thread have something catastrophic happen to break that string. Drought, natural disasters, wars and violence - these are the things that disrupt people's lives so much that there is no more room left for error. We have to identify these situations beforehand so that we can better prepare to help these struggling individuals.
We have the ability. Now we have to have the mindset. No more starvation.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Where Is Starvation Hurting the Most?
What country is starvation affecting the most?
There are dozens of countries that are struggling with starvation, and I would never want to assume that one country's plight is in any way more important than another's. But I do want to pinpoint where the need is the most intense - because that would be a good place to start.
Zimbabwe is struggling right now more than any other country. There are 11 million people in Zimbabwe, and over 2 million of them are on the verge of starvation. The country is in a psuedo-state of turmoil. The economy is in disrepair, and the policital scene is uncertain at best. Zimbabwe is struggling, absolutely struggling.
Another reason why this need is so immediate in Zimbabwe is because of the productivity of the aid. The country is not terribly large. So many of the people are in the midst of starvation (almost 1 in 5) that they are easily identified. The country does not have a huge amount of people, and aid would be able to be easily dispersed.
In Zimbabwe the need is real. The solution is real. The people are waiting.
No more starvation in Zimbabwe. Let's go.
There are dozens of countries that are struggling with starvation, and I would never want to assume that one country's plight is in any way more important than another's. But I do want to pinpoint where the need is the most intense - because that would be a good place to start.
Zimbabwe is struggling right now more than any other country. There are 11 million people in Zimbabwe, and over 2 million of them are on the verge of starvation. The country is in a psuedo-state of turmoil. The economy is in disrepair, and the policital scene is uncertain at best. Zimbabwe is struggling, absolutely struggling.
Another reason why this need is so immediate in Zimbabwe is because of the productivity of the aid. The country is not terribly large. So many of the people are in the midst of starvation (almost 1 in 5) that they are easily identified. The country does not have a huge amount of people, and aid would be able to be easily dispersed.
In Zimbabwe the need is real. The solution is real. The people are waiting.
No more starvation in Zimbabwe. Let's go.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
How Much Food Does Someone Need In Order To Not Starve?
So as we consider this subject of starvation, there is an important point that must be assessed to have full understanding of this reprehensible plight.
The point that we all have the responsibility to understand is this: How much food does someone need so that they won’t starve?
This would be a reasonable question with this subject. If we are trying to figure out how to form a plan to save those who are suffering from starvation, then we need to know all that we can about starvation. A minimal place to start would be to answer the question of how much food someone needs so that they will not starve (Note: we are not talking about full nutrition, but we are simply discussing the amount of food needed for someone to sustain an active life).
So how much food does someone need in order that they will not starve?
In order to simply stay alive, a person needs to eat enough calories that would be ten times their body weight (this would be increased by about 20% -30% if a person is moving around a lot in a day and 50%-60% if a person is actively working throughout the day). So here is what that looks like in actuality.
A person living in Africa in the throws of starvation weighs from 100 – 130 pounds. So that person would need between 1000 to 1300 calories each day. Some days a person could simply survive on less; thus, the actual total would be somewhere around 750 calories each day to survive.
What would this look like? Remember, if a person is on the verge of starvation, they will only have the monetary ability to buy certain foods like rice, porridge, corn, and the like. 750 calories would be the equivalent of something like this:
3 cups of rice
Or
4 cups of corn
Or
2 cups of cooked wheat flour.
These are the basic amounts of food that will keep someone alive. It does not seem like that much because it is not that much. Even though – if we are going to do this – we need to do this right and give people enough food for a daily active life. But still, this is the base amount that people need to not starve.
We can do that, can’t we???
The point that we all have the responsibility to understand is this: How much food does someone need so that they won’t starve?
This would be a reasonable question with this subject. If we are trying to figure out how to form a plan to save those who are suffering from starvation, then we need to know all that we can about starvation. A minimal place to start would be to answer the question of how much food someone needs so that they will not starve (Note: we are not talking about full nutrition, but we are simply discussing the amount of food needed for someone to sustain an active life).
So how much food does someone need in order that they will not starve?
In order to simply stay alive, a person needs to eat enough calories that would be ten times their body weight (this would be increased by about 20% -30% if a person is moving around a lot in a day and 50%-60% if a person is actively working throughout the day). So here is what that looks like in actuality.
A person living in Africa in the throws of starvation weighs from 100 – 130 pounds. So that person would need between 1000 to 1300 calories each day. Some days a person could simply survive on less; thus, the actual total would be somewhere around 750 calories each day to survive.
What would this look like? Remember, if a person is on the verge of starvation, they will only have the monetary ability to buy certain foods like rice, porridge, corn, and the like. 750 calories would be the equivalent of something like this:
3 cups of rice
Or
4 cups of corn
Or
2 cups of cooked wheat flour.
These are the basic amounts of food that will keep someone alive. It does not seem like that much because it is not that much. Even though – if we are going to do this – we need to do this right and give people enough food for a daily active life. But still, this is the base amount that people need to not starve.
We can do that, can’t we???
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Give a Man a Fish. Period.
“Give a man to fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
This is a popular saying that has been encouraged in the face of short-sighted efforts at sustenance aid. Humanitarians used to think that giving people food was all that they had to do. It was a constant discipline of aid, aid, aid every single day. They did not even consider the option of training these people with job skills and subsequently the ability to get food on their own. This thought revolutionized the theory of food aid.
And yet, I think that this thought has possibly run its course. I mean, I understand the theory of it. I totally do. I understand what it is trying to teach. I understand where it is trying to go. And I agree wholeheartedly with it. In a perfect world, we would have the time and opportunity to “teach people how to fish”. But this isn’t a perfect world.
We do not have the time, the opportunity, or the right situation. There are people starving to death in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and other areas all over the world. First, these people do not have the time to be taught any job skills. They do not have time to plant and harvest any food. They do not have the time. They are dying TODAY! They are going to die TOMORROW! There is no time. Second, even if these people are trained, their economies do not have enough jobs. Even if you have job skills, there are no jobs available. Also, the land is not good in some places. There is no opportunity to grow anything – or fish or hunt or gather – because of drought, famine, poor land management, etc. There is no time. There are no opportunities. It just doesn’t work.
So we need to change our thought process. We shouldn’t change it back to the very beginning. And we shouldn’t ignore what we now know. But we need to rethink what we are doing. We need to change our mindset. Here is the vision that we need to follow and the wisdom that we should heed given the current situation.
“Give a man a fish. Period.”
This has to be our mindset. It should be as simple as this: people are dying; they need food to live; those who have food need to give them food. That’s it. People are starving and dying every single day. No more theories or long-term goals or college strategies about the best things to do. No. There is no time. There is no time at all. People are dying. We need to help them. Now. Period.
So let’s change our mindset to this:
Give a man a fish. Period.
This is a popular saying that has been encouraged in the face of short-sighted efforts at sustenance aid. Humanitarians used to think that giving people food was all that they had to do. It was a constant discipline of aid, aid, aid every single day. They did not even consider the option of training these people with job skills and subsequently the ability to get food on their own. This thought revolutionized the theory of food aid.
And yet, I think that this thought has possibly run its course. I mean, I understand the theory of it. I totally do. I understand what it is trying to teach. I understand where it is trying to go. And I agree wholeheartedly with it. In a perfect world, we would have the time and opportunity to “teach people how to fish”. But this isn’t a perfect world.
We do not have the time, the opportunity, or the right situation. There are people starving to death in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and other areas all over the world. First, these people do not have the time to be taught any job skills. They do not have time to plant and harvest any food. They do not have the time. They are dying TODAY! They are going to die TOMORROW! There is no time. Second, even if these people are trained, their economies do not have enough jobs. Even if you have job skills, there are no jobs available. Also, the land is not good in some places. There is no opportunity to grow anything – or fish or hunt or gather – because of drought, famine, poor land management, etc. There is no time. There are no opportunities. It just doesn’t work.
So we need to change our thought process. We shouldn’t change it back to the very beginning. And we shouldn’t ignore what we now know. But we need to rethink what we are doing. We need to change our mindset. Here is the vision that we need to follow and the wisdom that we should heed given the current situation.
“Give a man a fish. Period.”
This has to be our mindset. It should be as simple as this: people are dying; they need food to live; those who have food need to give them food. That’s it. People are starving and dying every single day. No more theories or long-term goals or college strategies about the best things to do. No. There is no time. There is no time at all. People are dying. We need to help them. Now. Period.
So let’s change our mindset to this:
Give a man a fish. Period.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Why Is Starvation Even A Big Deal??
So why is this starvation stuff even that big of a deal? I know, I know, starvation means that people are dying. And that should be enough motivation unto itself right there. I understand that. And yet it doesn’t seem like it is working, does it?
So what are the implications of starvation? Why is it such a big deal? Why should we give so much effort to try to defeat it?
Here are three key reasons why starvation is such a big deal:
1) Daily Effect. Even if a person is not dying of starvation each and every day, a lack of food is still affecting them. When I was in Africa, I got to see this firsthand. A lack of food gives people a lack of energy. A lack of food causes people to only focus on getting the day’s supply of food, and it takes away their focus from other ventures (work, education, etc.). It is all a person can think about, and it is all the body can think about, as well. There is a daily effect to starvation that happens prior to death. By providing them food on a daily basis, these people can focus their daily efforts on other things.
2) Special Circumstances. One of the most dangerous times for starvation is during special circumstances. These circumstances can range from droughts to hurricanes to typhoons to extreme cold to anything else like that. Some people living in extreme poverty and on the verge of starvation can get through the day-to-day when things are normal, but if any little thing different happens – then they are going to starve. We must prepare for these special circumstances.
3) Hope. People who live on the verge of starvation have a very low level of hope. They are focused only on getting enough food to eat, and that is the whole of their existence. They have little hope that tomorrow will be even better. And when they bring children into the world, they automatically put their children and families into a starvation situation. The future is bleak and hope is small. When people help them, this not only provides food for their body, but it provides hope for the soul.
These are just a few of the reasons why it is vital that we provide support to those living on the verge of starvation.
We have to do it.
We have to end this.
No more starvation.
So what are the implications of starvation? Why is it such a big deal? Why should we give so much effort to try to defeat it?
Here are three key reasons why starvation is such a big deal:
1) Daily Effect. Even if a person is not dying of starvation each and every day, a lack of food is still affecting them. When I was in Africa, I got to see this firsthand. A lack of food gives people a lack of energy. A lack of food causes people to only focus on getting the day’s supply of food, and it takes away their focus from other ventures (work, education, etc.). It is all a person can think about, and it is all the body can think about, as well. There is a daily effect to starvation that happens prior to death. By providing them food on a daily basis, these people can focus their daily efforts on other things.
2) Special Circumstances. One of the most dangerous times for starvation is during special circumstances. These circumstances can range from droughts to hurricanes to typhoons to extreme cold to anything else like that. Some people living in extreme poverty and on the verge of starvation can get through the day-to-day when things are normal, but if any little thing different happens – then they are going to starve. We must prepare for these special circumstances.
3) Hope. People who live on the verge of starvation have a very low level of hope. They are focused only on getting enough food to eat, and that is the whole of their existence. They have little hope that tomorrow will be even better. And when they bring children into the world, they automatically put their children and families into a starvation situation. The future is bleak and hope is small. When people help them, this not only provides food for their body, but it provides hope for the soul.
These are just a few of the reasons why it is vital that we provide support to those living on the verge of starvation.
We have to do it.
We have to end this.
No more starvation.
Monday, May 26, 2008
What To Do With All Those Statistics
So now what do we do with all of these starvation statistics??
We see these statistics all the time. I presented a summary of them in the previous post. These are much more than simply statistics; they are facts that we all know. This many kids die every hour. This many million people live without adequate food everyday. This many countries are suffering from starvation. So, again, what are we supposed to do about all of these statistics? Why do we share these statistics so much?
I would offer two thoughts. First, there are general reasons why we share these statistics so much that affect each and every person. And, second, there are specific things that we need to do because of these statistics that hopefully will affect each and every person.
We share these statistics for the following reasons and to accomplish the following things:
1) For the general public. These statistics let the general public know that there is a problem and the scope of the problem. They lay the framework. Even though a person might not be an activist, it is important for people to be aware of what is going on in the world. These statistics serve to show people that there are injustices and suffering in our world, and hopefully it will cause them to remember and help.
2) For the occasional supporter. These statistics show the needs of people in the world. They do more than just lay a framework, they also highlight an obvious need. When people see these statistics, some will be led to help by the giving of their resources. These statistics provide the initial fuel to spur someone on to engage in supporting those suffering from starvation.
3) For the activist and worker. We need to know how many are starving, where they are, and what they need. To begin, we must have the information. We must have these statistics so that the people fighting in this effort know what to do and how much and where.
So what are we supposed to do with these statistics once they accomplish what they set out to do? Here should be our response to these statistics.
1) Hope. I know - people are dying. I know - this is a huge problem. I know. Trust me, I know. But have you thought about this: What if we didn’t know about this problem? What if the same number of people were dying each day, but we had no idea? These statistics give us hope. These statistics show that we recognize the problem. We have identified this problem. We are aware of it. And because we are aware of it, we cannot turn our backs on it. There is hope in these statistics.
2) Status. Because of these statistics, we know what we are up against. We know the size of the battle that we need to fight. We know when we are winning and we know when we are losing. We know when we need to fight harder and smarter, and we know when what we are doing is working. We can both track our progress and hold each other accountable. By defining the problem, we have a better chance at defeating it.
3) Invitation. These statistics should not be a report of how badly you have been doing at saving the world. They should not be a guilty reminder of all the things that you should have been doing to help these starving African children. But instead, we should view these statistics as an invitation – an invitation to make the future better for people in our world community. It shouldn’t be a condescending report of how badly Americans have done at helping over the years, but it should be an invitation to join today in the fight to make the future better for those suffering from starvation.
Starvation statistics should not be a guilt-tool that is wielded towards every American man and woman who eats three square meals a day. Starvation statistics should not be used to downgrade the pride of African people and their children. Starvation statistics should not make us feel like there is nothing that we can do and nothing that can be done. Starvation statistics shouldn’t make you turn a deaf ear and a blind eye in frustration because of the selfish motives from which they are sometimes shared.
No.
We should show these statistics – I show these statistics – to define the fight ahead and give us and them hope that there is an end – and end that we are working towards together. You should view these statistics as an invitation – an invitation for you to join in this fight against starvation and make the future brighter for our world community.
We see these statistics all the time. I presented a summary of them in the previous post. These are much more than simply statistics; they are facts that we all know. This many kids die every hour. This many million people live without adequate food everyday. This many countries are suffering from starvation. So, again, what are we supposed to do about all of these statistics? Why do we share these statistics so much?
I would offer two thoughts. First, there are general reasons why we share these statistics so much that affect each and every person. And, second, there are specific things that we need to do because of these statistics that hopefully will affect each and every person.
We share these statistics for the following reasons and to accomplish the following things:
1) For the general public. These statistics let the general public know that there is a problem and the scope of the problem. They lay the framework. Even though a person might not be an activist, it is important for people to be aware of what is going on in the world. These statistics serve to show people that there are injustices and suffering in our world, and hopefully it will cause them to remember and help.
2) For the occasional supporter. These statistics show the needs of people in the world. They do more than just lay a framework, they also highlight an obvious need. When people see these statistics, some will be led to help by the giving of their resources. These statistics provide the initial fuel to spur someone on to engage in supporting those suffering from starvation.
3) For the activist and worker. We need to know how many are starving, where they are, and what they need. To begin, we must have the information. We must have these statistics so that the people fighting in this effort know what to do and how much and where.
So what are we supposed to do with these statistics once they accomplish what they set out to do? Here should be our response to these statistics.
1) Hope. I know - people are dying. I know - this is a huge problem. I know. Trust me, I know. But have you thought about this: What if we didn’t know about this problem? What if the same number of people were dying each day, but we had no idea? These statistics give us hope. These statistics show that we recognize the problem. We have identified this problem. We are aware of it. And because we are aware of it, we cannot turn our backs on it. There is hope in these statistics.
2) Status. Because of these statistics, we know what we are up against. We know the size of the battle that we need to fight. We know when we are winning and we know when we are losing. We know when we need to fight harder and smarter, and we know when what we are doing is working. We can both track our progress and hold each other accountable. By defining the problem, we have a better chance at defeating it.
3) Invitation. These statistics should not be a report of how badly you have been doing at saving the world. They should not be a guilty reminder of all the things that you should have been doing to help these starving African children. But instead, we should view these statistics as an invitation – an invitation to make the future better for people in our world community. It shouldn’t be a condescending report of how badly Americans have done at helping over the years, but it should be an invitation to join today in the fight to make the future better for those suffering from starvation.
Starvation statistics should not be a guilt-tool that is wielded towards every American man and woman who eats three square meals a day. Starvation statistics should not be used to downgrade the pride of African people and their children. Starvation statistics should not make us feel like there is nothing that we can do and nothing that can be done. Starvation statistics shouldn’t make you turn a deaf ear and a blind eye in frustration because of the selfish motives from which they are sometimes shared.
No.
We should show these statistics – I show these statistics – to define the fight ahead and give us and them hope that there is an end – and end that we are working towards together. You should view these statistics as an invitation – an invitation for you to join in this fight against starvation and make the future brighter for our world community.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Initial Starvation Statistics
I do not put these things out here to guilt you, to embarrass you, to make you feel badly for having eaten breakfast this morning.
I put these statistics up here so that we know what we are dealing with. I put these statistics up here so that we know what we need to fight. I put these statistics up here so that we do not forget. And hopefully, if we don't forget - then we will remember.
Every 3.6 seconds someone starves to death and 3/4 are children under the age of 5.
854 million people across the world are hungry, up from 852 million a year ago
about one-third of all children under five suffer from malnutrition.
Every year 15 million children die of hunger
Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds.
The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving- Since you've entered this site at least 200 people have died of starvation.
The Indian subcontinent has nearly half the world's hungry people. Africa and the rest of Asia together have approximately 40%, and the remaining hungry people are found in Latin America and other parts of the world
Poor nutrition and calorie deficiencies cause nearly one in three people to die prematurely or have disabilities
These are all solid stats that come from reputable resources (http://www.bread.org/learn/hunger-basics/hunger-facts-international.html).
So, now how do we interpret these statistics? Where do we go from here?
I put these statistics up here so that we know what we are dealing with. I put these statistics up here so that we know what we need to fight. I put these statistics up here so that we do not forget. And hopefully, if we don't forget - then we will remember.
Every 3.6 seconds someone starves to death and 3/4 are children under the age of 5.
854 million people across the world are hungry, up from 852 million a year ago
about one-third of all children under five suffer from malnutrition.
Every year 15 million children die of hunger
Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds.
The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving- Since you've entered this site at least 200 people have died of starvation.
The Indian subcontinent has nearly half the world's hungry people. Africa and the rest of Asia together have approximately 40%, and the remaining hungry people are found in Latin America and other parts of the world
Poor nutrition and calorie deficiencies cause nearly one in three people to die prematurely or have disabilities
These are all solid stats that come from reputable resources (http://www.bread.org/learn/hunger-basics/hunger-facts-international.html).
So, now how do we interpret these statistics? Where do we go from here?
Sunday, May 11, 2008
No More Starvation
People die from starvation everyday. There are parts all over the world where people do not have enough to eat. Do not have enough to eat! Can you even believe that? In a world where people have cell phones with the internet and cars with voice technology and heated seats – there are still people who do not have enough food to eat. Man, if only we had a solution to the problem of starvation…
Oh, wait. We do. The solution is simple: give food to people who do not have it. And we not only have the solution, but we have the resources, too. Is there a shortage of food in the world? Are we rationing it out for each of the 7 billion people? Are we running out? No. We have food. We have more than enough food. In the developed countries, we throw away tons of food every single day. We have the solution. We have the resources. And we have the money, too. There is enough money to send the food to the right places and get it to the right people. There is enough money to make all of these things happen. We have the solution. We have the resources. We have the money. And finally, we have the people. There are more than enough people in the world with good hearts who want to end starvation. It is not like there is a shortage of people to help with this effort.
We have the solution to end starvation. We have the resources to make that solution happen. We have the money to pull everything off. And we have the people to carry it out. We have everything that we need to end starvation.
Now we just have to freaking do it. No more starvation.
Oh, wait. We do. The solution is simple: give food to people who do not have it. And we not only have the solution, but we have the resources, too. Is there a shortage of food in the world? Are we rationing it out for each of the 7 billion people? Are we running out? No. We have food. We have more than enough food. In the developed countries, we throw away tons of food every single day. We have the solution. We have the resources. And we have the money, too. There is enough money to send the food to the right places and get it to the right people. There is enough money to make all of these things happen. We have the solution. We have the resources. We have the money. And finally, we have the people. There are more than enough people in the world with good hearts who want to end starvation. It is not like there is a shortage of people to help with this effort.
We have the solution to end starvation. We have the resources to make that solution happen. We have the money to pull everything off. And we have the people to carry it out. We have everything that we need to end starvation.
Now we just have to freaking do it. No more starvation.
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