Did you know that in 2010 it was reported that 925
million people worldwide suffer from chronic hunger every year? Malnutrition is
the number one leading cause of child mortality, approximately 1/3 of children
under the age of 5. Why do so many people in the world suffer from hunger? In
the United States we have enough food to feed the world but many people think
that hunger is about having too many people and too little food. In
reality hunger is about power and therefore those who are fortunate eat and
those who don’t will not. Its’ roots lie in the inequalities that permit the
rich to access resources and opportunities and closes doors to others. Many of
the 3rd world countries do not have access to clean water, but
billions of dollars each year are spent on bottled water in the United States
alone. Tons of food is wasted in the United States every day.
On February 21st, 2013 the Oxfam
Hunger Banquet was held in the Allegany Room at Alfred State College. Everyone
that attended was given a different colored ticket. The 1st world
was blue, the 2nd world was orange and the 3rd world
was white. Once the tickets were handed out, the groups sat together
based on the color. The 1st world had waiters and was served
pork chops, salad, fries, broccoli with cheese and a fruit cup for
dessert. The 2nd world was served rice and beans.
The 3rd world was served no food at all just water. This
banquet provided a whole new meaning to world hunger. It was a very realistic
hands-on scenario demonstrating worldwide hunger.
The Oxfam organization has a campaign called GROW.
It brings people together to create solutions for food, fairness, and the
future of our planet. It helps to build a better food system that feeds a
growing population and empowers poor people to earn a living, feed their
families, and thrive. The GROW campaign aims to increase the productivity,
self-reliance, and economic prosperity of small scale farmers by increasing
their access to resources like water and land. This ensures fair
competition for resources, increases farmers preparedness in the face of
natural disasters, modernizes food aid programs so that they are more
effective, efficient, and fiscally responsible. These actions improve the
response to natural disasters and holds government and businesses accountable
for the impacts of their policies/practices on the global food security. Oxfam
strives to end poverty and injustice.
Are you ready to change the world, do something
meaningful, spread the word, or raise money for world hunger? It’s simple, work
online at the Grow web site which is Oxfam.org, or at your local school. One
person can have a powerful influence and never underestimate your ability to
change the world.
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