We can end hunger in our lifetime
JOBURG - Hunger kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.
World Food Day, is celebrated on 16 October (tomorrow), as a day of action against hunger. A day when people from around the world come together and declare their commitment to eradicate hunger in our lifetime.
It may all sound like a dream, but JAM, Joint Aid Management, founder Peter Pretorius tells us that it can be done.
“It’s no small challenge, of course,” he said, “But if we all focus our attention, if we each play our own part, the real amazing truth is that we can make that dream a reality in our lifetime.”
JAM, an African-founded international humanitarian organisation dedicated to eradicating starvation in Africa, recently launched its ‘Real Amazing’ campaign at a fundraising event held at Avianto Wedding Venue.
The Real Amazing campaign was inspired by the transformations JAM has seen as a result of its work over the last three decades. To date, JAM has served over 1.6 billion meals to children in need, and has turned life around for many communities.
But Pretorius will not rest while he still knows that even one child is going to bed hungry. And while it’s not work that one individual can do alone, Pretorius tells us that even if less than 10 per cent of South Africans were to commit to feeding a child a day we would already have an effective impact on our country’s food security challenges.
“Believe me, we need to speak out. According to The United Nations World Food Program, hunger kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. A perplexing statistic when you consider that the world actually produces enough food to feed every person on the planet,” said Pretorius.
“Let’s not allow another World Food Day to slip by without opening our hearts to the very real changes we can so easily make,” Pretorius added.
The simplest and easiest way to become involved in this war against human suffering is to help JAM feed a child a day. For just R600, you can feed a child for an entire year through JAM’S school feeding programmes. You can also make donations for a crèche makeover or a community garden. JAM takes great care to ensure that all contributions reach the children and communities they are intended for.
Additionally, JAM is always in need of passionate people who can raise awareness about their programmes and find exciting ways to get more people involved. You can do things as simple as helping them sort shoes that will be donated, help out at events, or even go so far as to host your own fundraising event.
