Hunger | Fast Facts and Quick Actions

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Fast Facts about Hunger

Malnutrition – the state of being poorly nourished – is not merely a result of having too little food, but of a combination of factors: insufficient protein, energy and micronutrients, frequent infections or disease, poor care and feeding practices, inadequate health services, and unsafe water and sanitation. (UNICEF)
It is estimated that 854 million people in the world suffer from chronic hunger and malnutrition. This means that 1 in nearly 7 people do not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life, making hunger and malnutrition the number one risk to health worldwide – greater than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. (World Food Programme)
About 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. Three-fourths of the deaths are children under the age of 5. (The Hunger Site)
Malnutrition can severely affect a child’s intellectual development. Children who have stunted growth due to malnutrition score significantly lower on math and language achievement tests than do well-nourished children. Preschool and school-aged children who experience severe hunger have higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression, and behavior problems than children without hunger. (UNICEF)
Obesity is another form of malnutrition. Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, and at least 300 million of them are obese. Childhood obesity is a serious global health concern, reaching epidemic levels in some countries. From 1980 to 2000, the number of overweight adults in the United States doubled and the number of overweight adolescents tripled, according to U.S. Surgeon General. (World Health Organization, U.S. Surgeon General)
Hunger persists in the United States. 35 million people – including almost 13 million children – live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents approximately one in eleven (or 11% of) households in the United States. (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
The world produces enough food to feed everyone. World agriculture produces 17% more calories per person today than it did 30 years ago, despite a 70% population increase. This is enough to provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per person per day. The principal problem is that many people in the world do not have sufficient land to grow, or income to purchase, sufficient food. (Food and Agriculture Organization)

Quick Actions to Mitigate Hunger

Surf the web, reduce hunger
Every time you visit The Hunger Site and click on the “Click Here to Give” link, sponsors will fund food donations. It is free for you and it feeds someone who is hungry. On average, over 220,000 individuals from around the world visit the site each day. To date, more than 200 million visitors have given more than 300 million cups of staple food. By bookmarking and returning to the website every time you’re online you can help reduce hunger.
Help fill empty bowls
The Empty Bowls project involves creating original ceramic bowls. You might ask your art teacher if this is something your whole class can do together. You then use the bowl to serve a meal of soup and bread to someone you know. The objective is to raise money for hunger alleviation by asking the person who receives the bowl to donate money to an organization working to reduce poverty. Your guest gets to keep the bowl as a reminder of the many empty bowls in the world. You could even coordinate your Empty Bowls project with World Food Day (October 16).
Reduce your consumption of meat
In the United States, 56 million acres of land produce hay for livestock. Only 4 million acres produce vegetables for human consumption. Such inefficient use of land means that food production will not keep up with population growth. By reducing your consumption of meat, you can help free up land to grow corn, grain, soya, and other crops that provide food security for local people. (Worldwatch Institute)
Volunteer at a local foodbank or homeless shelter
Hunger affects poor people everywhere in the world who do not have land or money to provide for an adequate diet. Even in developed countries, many people still suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Volunteers are always needed at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and foodbanks. If you are in the U.S., visit America’s Second Harvest or call 800-771-2303 to find a foodbank near you.
Host a hunger banquet
A great way to help people experience the reality of hunger and poverty worldwide is to hold a community or school gathering where guests are randomly assigned an “income tier” when they arrive. Their meals will reflect how people at that level of income tend to eat. Visit Oxfam America for a step-by-step guide on how to host this event.

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Feeding Minds Fighting Hunger
Feeding Minds Fighting Hunger is an international classroom for exploring the problems of hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity. This site gives teachers and students a chance to actively participate in creating a world free from hunger by providing lesson modules, resources and activities, and an interactive forum for exchanging information and experiences around the world. Check out the Youth Window for ideas about what you can do and examples of what others are doing.
Heifer International
Heifer International helps impoverished families allover the world to become self-reliant through gifts of animals and training in environmentally-sound agriculture – providing both food and income for the families that can be used for housing, education, and better medical care. Heifer requires that families pass on one or more of the animals’ offspring to other families in need, as a sustainable model of ending hunger and poverty.
Bread for the World
Bread for the World is a Christian group dedicated to ending hunger around the world by raising awareness and working with the U.S. government to fund anti-hunger initiatives.
The Hunger Project
The Hunger Project works around the world to systematically identify the causes of hunger on a local level and fund programs to eliminate the causes.
Oxfam America
Oxfam works to create lasting solutions to hunger, poverty, and social injustice through long-term partnerships with poor communities around the world. Oxfam America funds programs in developing nations, conducts educational campaigns in the U.S., and lobbies government officials to support foreign aid. This site features extensive information as well as many ways to get involved.
UNICEF
Seeing proper nutrition is a child’s right, and a requirement for children to grow and thrive as individuals, UNICEF works for every child to be well-nourished.

For background reading on poverty, equity, and sustainable development, see...

Hunger Fast Facts and Quick Actions

Fast Facts about Hunger

Quick Actions to Mitigate Hunger

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