Casting a light on world hunger on May 28
Today, May 28, is World Hunger Day.
On this day, awareness is raised to the fact that thousands of people die from poverty every single day – and 10 per cent of them die from famine.
Global hunger in Africa remains all too prominent.
Thoughout the world, projects are run, such as the Hunger Project (www.thehungerproject.co.uk), which aims to not only cast focus on hunger as a result of poverty, but also to find sustainable solutions to end hunger.
In South Africa today, there is the FoodBankSA’s 12 Hour Fast, which involves individuals donating R40 towards the cause and committing to a 12 hour fast on the day, is an effort to raise awareness and address the growing issue of hunger and food security.
Participants are encouraged to take part in the initiative by completing the online registration form available on the FoodBank website, which will facilitate the donation and commit them to fasting for 12 hours.
Then there is also the Stop Hunger Now camapaign, which was established in the US in 1998. It is an international organisation that coordinates the distribution of food and other life-saving aid worldwide.
Stop Hunger Now Southern Africa was subseqeunbtly established in September 2009 in Johannesburg, and is a non-profit company. Stop Hunger Now Southern Africa runs branches in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
To get involved with this campaign visit Stop Hunger Now SA.
It is estimated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation that nearly 870-million people of the 7.1-billion people in the world, were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2010 to 2012.
Almost all the hungry people, 852-m, live in developing countries, representing 15 percent of the population of developing counties.
While the number of undernourished people decreased nearly 30 percent in Asia and the Pacific, the number of hungry grew in Africa over the period, from 175-m to 239-m, with nearly 20-m added in the last few years. Nearly one in four are hungry.
And in sub-Saharan Africa, the modest progress achieved in recent years up to 2007 was reversed, with hunger rising two per cent per year since then.
Sadly, children remain the most visible victims of undernutrition. Children who are poorly nourished suffer up to 160 days of illness each year. Poor nutrition plays a role in at least half of the 10.9-m child deaths each year – 5-m deaths.
