1. How many children under the age of 5 die each year as a result of hunger?
a) 800,000
b) 2 million
c) 6 million
2. Infectious diseases are the most common killer of children under age 5 in the developing world. But the risk of dying from those diseases is far greater for children who are malnourished. How much greater is the risk of death for a child who is seriously malnourished?
a) 8.4 times greater
b) 4.6 times greater
c) 2.5 times greater
3. A citizen of one of 24 developed nations has an average life expectancy of 70 years. In the countries most affected by hunger and malnutrition, what is the average life expectancy?
a) 30 years
b) 38 years
c) 50 years
4. What region of the world has the highest prevalence of under nourishment?
a) Central America
b) Sub-Sahara Africa
c) East Asia
Hunger Facts
*More than 840 million people in the world are malnourished - 799 million of them live in the developing world.
*More than 153 million of the world's malnourished people are children under the age of 5.
*Malnutrition can severely affect a child's intellectual development. Malnourished children often have stunted growth and score significantly lower on math and language achievement tests than do well-nourished children.
*Most of the widespread hunger in a world of plenty results from grinding, deeply rooted poverty. In any given year, however, between 5 and 10 percent of the total can be traced to specific events: droughts or floods, armed conflict, political, social and economic disruptions.
The above quiz and statistics were taken from www.care.org. The answers to the quiz are c,a,b,b.
More sobering statistics
*More than 15,000 people throughout the world will die TODAY from hunger
*More than 72,000 tons of food will be wasted TODAY in America alone
*Yet, only about 15,000 tons of global aid will be provided today throughout the world
The above statistics were taken from www.stopthehunger.com.
The truth is hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, a reality in which people simply cannot afford the most basic need for food.
There is so much to learn about hunger and poverty, and addressing the needs. My eyes and heart have been opened to some of the realities faced by way too many people. All of the pictures shared in this post today were not googled or copied from the internet. Each of these children featured in today's post are precious children I have met - in their community. I have hugged some of them, laughed with some of them, and cried about each and every one of them. I have been in their homes or villages. Each child that peers at you from the computer screen is living a life of poverty and hunger. Each child lives in a village where a feeding center is attempting to provide a nutritious meal anywhere from one to five days a week. Each feeding center is unique in what it provides depending on their resources. The provided meal is likely the ONLY meal the child eats on that particular day.
Hunger is prevalent all over the world, and even in the United States. Will you join me in trying to make a difference? Through research and personal travels I assure you that everyone can do something. Support an organization that feeds the hungry, collect items and donate locally or globally, get creative and do something crazy!
These next two pictures are from one of my favorite days during a trip I took to Guatemala last January. The children were at the feeding center and a bit leery of the three American ladies who visited with them. Notice their faces in the photo.
Now notice their smiles and laughter. Shouldn't this be the way children look?
Allow the photos to disturb you. Get frustrated at the statistics. Then do something about it!
3 comments:
As the smell of freshly baked cookies fill my home, and after reading this,my heart is pierced. I will now increase my gift to my sponsored childs family in Quatemala to help them buy more food. Bless you for being the Lords voice concerning poverty
My friend, Jill (who lives near you) is doing this:
Five Day Solidarity Challenge
Half the world lives on $2 a day. Their usual meal is 3/4 ounce (That’s about the size of a small chicken nugget) of oats, rice, beans and vegetables. Meat and fruit are a luxury. The week of November 17-21, in a show of solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world living in poverty, commit to eating one of the following meal options at least once per day. (Please check with your doctor before participating in this challenge.)
* Plain oatmeal or Cream of Wheat
* A tortilla, rice and beans
* Rice with a small portion of fish or chicken or vegetables.
Use the money you save on groceries that week to purchase Kroger gift cards ($25 increments, please) and bring them with you the weekend of Nov. 23-24. They’ll be donated to the four local organizations
Aimee,
I am disturbed...of course you already knew that:) Seriously, our hearts couldn't be more of a match. Thank you for your post. I emailed it to many:) Enjoy the holidays next week.
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