World Hunger Awareness

October is World Hunger Awareness Month

Have you ever gone without for a period of time? If so, then you know that the first 3 days of hunger are the worst. The pains in your stomach can make you feel like you are dying and that there is just no way you can continue on through the day without satisfying your gnawing stomach. If you have gone longer than 3 days without food then the cramps in your stomach subside but they never truly go away and your body becomes weaker. Being a fully developed person, one can continue on without food for a good many days before they become ill but, if you are a growing child, your body quickly becomes malnourished and development becomes stunted and eventually death.

2013 World Hunger and Poverty Fact and Statistics reports that nearly 870 million people of the 7.1 billion people in the world, which is one in eight are suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2010-2012. Of that 852 million live in developing countries giving us 15 percent of the population of developing countries, with 16 million people undernourished in developed countries. That, my friends, is a lot of hungry people.

Poorly nourished children suffer from preventable illnesses. How sad! This report also tells us that our world produces enough food to feed everyone! World agricultures produces 17 percent more calories per person today than it did 30 years ago. So then, why is there hunger? Well, there is the lack of resources for the poor, unfair distribution of food in the world within certain countries, conflict and hunger itself. This site also tells us that the World Bank has estimated that there were 1,345 million poor people in developing countries who live on $1.25 a day or less. When you are hungry your health is poor and you have low energy levels and sometimes mental impairment which can lead to greater poverty and thus greater hunger. A vicious cycle is produced and can be hard to remedy unless there is intervention.

Today’s news has Syria in it focus. The inhumane treatment of these innocent people is just ghastly. Huntington Post reports: 

Mouadamiya is controlled by rebels but under blockade by Assad's forces. The United Nations says aid workers have been unable to visit the town for over a year due to fighting.

"Food is only dozens of metres away and our children are dying because of a checkpoint or a sniper," said Omar, a doctor in the town, speaking by Skype.

Save the Children cited reports suggesting a quarter of Syrian families go as much as a week at a time without being able to buy food. Food is often available but prices have doubled in the last year and poverty is rising.

According to the World Food Program (WFP), about 4.25 million people need food aid. It targets 3 million people for aid a month. But Graham said other aid groups assess that at least 10 million people face problems getting food.

"We have a situation where millions of people are not being given any help at all," he said.

U.N. officials say they are struggling to find ways to enter combat zones. Laure Chadraoui, a WFP spokeswoman in Beirut, said aid workers had resorted to air-lifting food to some areas.

That is Syria, now, as of this past Saturday, India is suffering from Cyclone Phailin and there are thousands of people marooned by floods. Thank God, only a small number of people have been killed by this disaster, 27 as of last count reports BBC News. But the intense storm has made more than half a million people homeless, state government officials said.

The storm tore down power and communication lines and knocked out road and rail links, making an assessment difficult.

An estimated 5,000 sq km of mostly paddy crops have been destroyed, causing a loss of some $320m (£220m).

Even in our own backyard are there those who are suffering from hunger. Just on Sunday my husband bought some food for a homeless person sitting on the street begging for money. I encourage you to help out where you can. Pray for Father to guide you where to donate or just pray for those who are hungry. 

 James 2:14-18 ESV
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Today I am blogging for World Help 

Check out the videos on the Crisis in Syria center, they are pretty moving.

 Praying for Syria,
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