Face it - we don't know hunger. We use the word flippantly as we Americans only know to use it. But true hunger - the hunger that leads to malnutrition and stunted growth - it's just abstract to us really. We can't understand it..some choose to ignore it for the mere fact that we don't know what to do with information like the info in the article below. In reality, injustice will always persist in this world. I'm a pessimist I know - but really - it's always been so pervasive. So what to do with something that has always been there and will always be to a degree?
The following is taken from an
article I found online entitled "UN says hunger stunts some 200 million children":
"It is unrealistic to believe malnutrition can be addressed by any topdown U.N. scheme," said Philip Stevens, of International Policy Network, a London-based think tank. "The progress UNICEF's report points to in
improving nutrition is almost certainly a result of economic growth, not U.N. strategies."The Rome-based FAO announced earlier this year that hunger now affects a record 1.02 billion globally, or one in six people, with the financial meltdown, high food prices, drought and war blamed.
The agency hopes its World Summit on Food Security, with Pope Benedict XVI and some 60 heads of state so far expected to attend, will endorse a new strategy to combat hunger,
focusing on increased investment in agricultural development for poor countries. I like the thoughts in this article though. It has me thinking about the recent boom in Microloans and microfinancing for third world countries. It also has me thinking about our country and where our govt is headed (bigger and more controlling). The article below suggests that no govt or agency can save the little men or minority in need - they must be given the tools to save themselves - personal responsibility - I guess that's why I'm so opposed to big govt and socialized programs. Microloans work! They really do! Perhaps it might help with such a large problem as hunger. "Empowering people to become self-sufficient with dignity" - a qoute from Microloan Foundation. Read
this success story.
I know I'm thinking a lot about the children in Africa - the ones who are 6 years old and look as if they are 3. Thinking about all I know about nutrition and how vital nutrients are to growth. Thinking of how quickly Micah caught up with good nutrition here at home. One year ago, this Friday, November 13th, Micah was found. Why was he left to be found? I think a lot about this and his birth family in Africa... about hunger, AIDS, trafficking, the injustices we can so easily ignore in suburbia. Then I think about how small I am in comparison to such a huge problem. But
Muhammad Yunusprobably felt the same way.
