Opening Statement:
There is over 820 million people worldwide that are living in chronic hunger and on this day May 28th this initiative seeks to encourage action and bring hunger to an end. FACT…a significant portion of the human population has suffered from hunger since the world began. Hunger is a condition in which an individual lacks the physical or financial capability to meet their nutritional needs. It leads to malnutrition, wasting, stunted growth, and death. According to The Hunger Project, hunger kills more than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined, and it’s primarily prevalent in Africa and South America. But here in the United States we have many Americans who suffer as well and we need to improve and change this.
History Of World Hunger Day
· Hunger is a condition affecting humanity since the beginning of history, but so is the collective fight against it. According to the philosopher Simone Weil, people have always worked together to ensure that the hungry are fed. In ancient Egypt, people helped the hungry to justify their deeds in the afterlife. Also, before the introduction of markets, Weil says human societies shared their food to avoid hunger or chose to starve together. Before the 19th century, religious organizations and philanthropic individuals usually led hunger relief efforts. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, people began calling for government involvement in hunger relief, especially the global action against hunger. One of the initiatives the U.S. government embarked on during that period was shipping millions of tons of food to European countries during and in the years immediately after World War I
· After WWII, the newly-formed United Nations began leading the fight against hunger. Following its establishment, the U.N. created FAO, W.F.P., and IFAD to promote food security and agricultural development. In the late 1970s, international organizations such as the I.M.F. and the World Bank began focusing on developing countries as starvation in countries like Ethiopia came into the global limelight. In the 20th century, the prevailing view was that hunger was a problem of demand surpassing supply. However, this view was ended by the research of economist Amartya Sen, who successfully demonstrated that hunger in modern times was a distribution problem or caused by government policies in developed and developing economies. In 1998, Sen won a Nobel Prize for this research.
· In 2011, the Hunger Project created World Hunger Day. The day is an initiative to highlight the predicament of disadvantaged people around the world and take action to end world hunger.
How To Observe World Hunger Day
· Volunteer At Your Local Food Bank
Food banks are charitable organizations that distribute food to those without the finances to purchase enough for themselves. Volunteer at a food bank in various capacities, including fundraising, social media management, organizing food drives, and awareness campaign management. Check online for a food bank close to you.
· Donate To Charity
If you don’t have the time or resources to volunteer, start donating a weekly or monthly token to a non-profit that works on hunger. That could be a food bank, a soup kitchen, or a hunger project. Research for one that fits your ideal, get their account details, and start making donations.
· Raise Awareness
Social media is usually the go-to platform for raising awareness about anything. Use your social media account to draw attention to the plight hungry people suffer around the world. Stress how actions like sustainable eating to reduce food wastage, donating excess food items to soup kitchens or food banks, and tasking governments to do more to end hunger.
5 Important Facts About Hunger
1. Undernourished Children
Seventeen million babies are born undernourished each year as their mothers are malnourished.
2. 11% Of the World’s Population Is Hungry
Around 805 million people go to bed undernourished or hungry every night.
3. The World Has Enough Food
Global food production is sufficient to feed all seven billion people on the planet.
4. Economic Growth Doesn’t Reduce Hunger
India has experienced increased economic growth in recent years but about 14% of its population remains undernourished.
5. Where The Hungry Live
About 98% of global hunger is concentrated in underdeveloped countries.
Closing Statement and Recap:
World Hunger Day not only focuses on awareness but also on organizing meaningful action. It motivates and encourages organizations and individuals to contribute in different ways to ultimately reduce hunger in their communities. It also calls for action from governments to develop better food security policies. Undernourishment, which results from hunger, is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. By uniting efforts to deal with hunger, World Hunger Day contributes to an improvement in global health. There are various statistics on the World Hunger Day website on how hunger affects disadvantaged and disabled people around the world. The Hunger Project, the organizers of World Hunger Day, also hosts physical and online events and promotions to make these statistics public knowledge in hopes of combined action around the world.
Source of Information: Various Google Searches
Until Next Week, Stay Safe and Well!
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