1. World Hunger
By: Roman Voznyy

2. What is World hunger?
World hunger, also known as malnutrition, is the condition that develops when the body does not get the right amount of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function. It causes many deaths each year. These deaths are mostly children because they are under the age of five and need nourishment to grow but cannot receive it.

3. Who does world hunger affect?
World Hunger affects countries like the Central African Republic, Chad, Zambia, Timor-Leste, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Niger, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Yemen, Sudan, Angola, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Burkina Faso and many more. 21,000 people die of World Hunger every day.

4. Why is world hunger happening?
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 the most important ones.
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.
In developing countries, farmers often cannot afford seeds, so they cannot plant the crops that would provide for their families. They may have to cultivate crops without the tools and fertilizers they need. Others have no land or water or education. In short, the poor are hungry and their hunger traps them in poverty.

5. WHY IS WORLD HUNGER HAPPENING? (continued)
Climate and weather
Natural disasters such as floods, tropical storms and long periods of drought are on the increase -- with calamitous consequences for the hungry poor in developing countries.
Drought is one of the most common causes of food shortages in the world. In 2011, recurrent drought caused crop failures and heavy livestock losses in parts of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.
In 2012, there was a similar situation in the Sahel region of West Africa.
In many countries, climate change is exacerbating already adverse natural conditions. Increasingly, the world's fertile farmland is under threat from erosion, salination and desertification. Deforestation by human hands accelerates the erosion of land which could be used for growing food.

6. WHY IS WORLD HUNGER HAPPENING? (continued)
War and displacement
Across the globe, conflicts consistently disrupt farming and food production. Fighting also forces millions of people to flee their homes, leading to hunger emergencies as the displaced find themselves without the means to feed themselves. The conflict in Syria is a recent example.
In war, food sometimes becomes a weapon. Soldiers will starve opponents into submission by seizing or destroying food and livestock and systematically wrecking local markets. Fields are often mined and water wells contaminated, forcing farmers to abandon their land.
Ongoing conflict in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo has contributed significantly to the level of hunger in the two countries. By comparison, hunger is on the retreat in more peaceful parts of Africa such as Ghana and Rwanda.

7. How can we stop world hunger?
We can donate food to poor countries at websites like:
We can also go to food banks and donate food to the Canadian Red Cross, a non-governmental-organization that is trying to help stop World Hunger by gathering donated food and sending it to countries suffering from World Hunger.

8. The Church’s Perspective
People must stand united against the scandal of hunger while avoiding food waste and irresponsible use of the world’s resources, Pope Francis has said.
People should “stop thinking that our daily actions do not have an impact on the lives of those who suffer from hunger firsthand,” he said in a video message launching a global campaign of prayer and action against hunger.
With about one billion people still suffering from hunger today, “we cannot look the other way and pretend this does not exist,” he said.

9. THE CANADIAN’S PERSPECTIVE
To mark World Food Day, on October 16th, a new survey was released that revealed that the majority of Canadians are concerned about world hunger and are willing to take action against it.
The survey, which was conducted by Ipsos and sponsored by the international development organizations Development and Peace and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, polled a random sample of 1,002 Canadians 18 years and older on their perceptions of world hunger.
The survey showed that 62% of Canadians feel concerned by the issue of world hunger and identified the following as the most efficient ways to reduce world hunger: donating to charitable organizations that help small family farmers in the Global South; advocating the Canadian government to fund programs that support small family farmers in the Global South; and avoiding food waste.
Most said that they would be willing to personally do these actions to help in the cause to end world hunger. They also ranked international development and relief agencies as the most trusted actors in the fight against hunger.

10. THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT’S PERSPECTIVE
Technology, science and research are integral tools in the fight against world hunger and poverty.  The Canadian government has taken important steps towards funding new efforts to fight global poverty and hunger. A few years ago, the Canadian government announced its contribution to the second phase of the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund, also known as CIFSRF.  This fund is using science and technology partnerships to try to find new solutions to battle the global epidemic of hunger and poverty.
The Canadian government is committed to improving food security to those most in need around the globe. They are using collaborative efforts contributed by universities, businesses, and non-governmental organizations to bring new perspectives to the problem. The Canadian research fund is developing a strategy that many other countries could learn from. Canada’s research fund is striving to work with developing country researchers to respond to not only the immediate food needs on the ground but also working towards providing long-term strategies to effectively combat long-lasting poverty problems.

11. ORGANIZATIONAL PERSPECTIVE CANADIAN FEED THE CHILDREN
Working with local partners internationally and in Canada, their mission is to enhance the well-being of children, their families and their communities. They build community capacity to create opportunities for long-term, sustainable food security and access to education. They run projects in Canada, Haiti, Bolivia, Ghana, Uganda and Ethiopia.
To donate and for more information go to:

12. ORGAIZATIOAL PERSPECTIVE CARE
CARE cuts poverty off at its roots. They provide tools for sustainable change to the people most vulnerable to hunger, violence and disease. CARE works in 90 countries around the world to support over poverty-fighting development and emergency projects.
To learn more and donate visit:

13. ORGAIZATIONAL PERSPECTIVE THE HUNGER PROJECT
The Hunger Project is a global, non-profit, strategic organization committed to the sustainable end of world hunger.
Their programs in 24,000 communities throughout Africa, South Asia and Latin America are based on an innovative, holistic approach, which empowers women and men living in rural villages to become the agents of their own development and make sustainable progress in overcoming hunger and poverty.
To donate and learn more visit:

14. My perspective
I see world hunger as an important world issue. It presses all of us to help and we should donate as much as possible. It is an issue that could be prevented and stopped over time. In my personal experience I have tried to donate as much as possible because if I was in the position of a child in, say, Sudan, I would want as much help as possible. I also try to make sure as little food is wasted as possible.

15. Bibliography
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