Famine

Facts about famine  In 2013, more than 17,000 children younger than 5 died every day — most from preventable causes. It’s estimated that nearly half of these deaths were tied to hunger. That’s about one every 10 seconds. Most of these kids died not from starvation, but from malnutrition — meaning too long without the right kind of food. Eating just enough to stay alive weakened their bodies so much that disease could strike the final blow.  The worst years of the famine were between , and it is estimated that around one million people (or an eighth of the population) died from starvation or the diseases that preyed on their weakened bodies.  The world produces enough food to feed all 7 billion people, but those who go hungry either do not have land to grow food or money to purchase it. Fight hunger in your community by collecting food outside a local supermarket.  While hunger exists worldwide, 526 million hungry people live in Asia.

What causes hunger?  The world produces enough to feed the entire global population of 7 billion people. And yet, one person in eight on the planet goes to bed hungry each night. In some countries, one child in three is underweight. Why does hunger exist? There are many reasons for the presence of hunger in the world and they are often interconnected. Here are two that we think are important.  Food wastage: One third of all food produced (1.3 billion tons) is never consumed. This food wastage represents a missed opportunity to improve global food security in a world where one in 8 is hungry.  Poverty trap: People living in poverty cannot afford nutritious food for themselves and their families. This makes them weaker and less able to earn the money that would help them escape poverty and hunger. This is not just a day- to-day problem: when children are chronically malnourished, or ‘stunted’, it can affect their future income, condemning them to a life of poverty and hunger.

Four ways to help famine Do some research to better understand where and what help is needed. As with most things, if you go into a situation with only your assumptions or outright bad information, you're likely to cause harm or at least not do any good. you might actually be able to help three or four times as many people by helping in another country. Use your skills to volunteer. If you have valuable skills, like knowledge of farm equipment, horticulture, construction, project management, or fundraising: donate your time. Even if you don't have these skills, you can help with your money. Throw a fundraiser and donate that money to some of the charities. Links to ready to send templates on global poverty bills. YOUTUBE: Send your leader a video of constituents requesting action on a bill.

Save food, Save lives