Hunger

Next month, President Obama will attend the G8 Summit, a meeting of leaders from the world’s most powerful and wealthy countries. The influence that these countries have on the rest of the world cannot be understated –- particularly their impact on the poorest and most vulnerable, like mothers and children living in poverty.

Will they follow through?

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, host of the 2010 summit, has confirmed that addressing child and maternal heath will be a priority at the summit. This is encouraging news for the millions of mothers and children susceptible to deadly but preventable diseases. But will G8 countries follow through?

By Chip Huber, Dean of Student Engagement/ACTS Group Advisor, Cornerstone University

On a recent Wednesday night on our campus, there were 3 different dinner options within a couple hundred yards of each other. Our dining hall featured the every day, every meal spread that offers several different entrée options, pasta, cold sandwiches, salad bar, Panini’s, cereals, and a host of dessert and drink options. To be honest, many of the hundreds of students and staff that eat there every day are often indifferent or even a bit negative about what they can choose from to eat in our serving space. The second option features hot and cold sandwiches and other snacks and desserts and drinks for those who don’t have the time to sit down to eat with others in the dining room because their schedule is too filled with other activities of greater significance. And the third option was off to the side in our student union area, and featured a large metal container that held a porridge made from corn and soy that is often given to people suffering from malnutrition and who are desperately hungry in places all over our world. Plastic bowls were being handed out and chairs had been moved to open up some space on the floor where people could spoon up the mixture while reading a card that featured a story of a child who was deeply affected by hunger in Asia, Africa, or Latin America.

By James Pedrick, World Vision Senior Advocacy Associate, ACT:S National Team

With World Malaria Day around the corner, our focus over the last couple months has mainly been malaria. The response from students and churches to mobilize their communities in the fight against malaria has been outstanding! We have over 400 groups signed up to host Night of Nets events and each day the numbers increase!

In the midst of all this excitement about malaria, we continue to hear stories of students mobilizing around World Vision ACT:S’ other issues: child slavery, hunger and AIDS. It is great to see the ongoing leadership, creativity and passion of students around the country.  Keep up the great momentum and let us know what you are doing...we love to hear from you all!

Here are a couple e-mails I have received from students who have recently done events to address hunger and child slavery.

Molly from University of Delaware

Hi James!

Just wanted to thank you for all your help and resources for our campaign against world hunger.  God worked in truly incredible ways all week long at the University of Delaware.  We raised a little over $1,000 for World Vision and were able to raise awareness to literally thousands of students and faculty through out the week.  We were incredibly encouraged because we also got to present to students that Jesus is the bread of life and the one who can fill our spiritual hunger.

World Vision Press Release

March 11, 2010, Washington, DC — Aid that promotes nutrition and food security has wide-ranging benefits compared to its costs in the fight against poverty-related problems, according to a top humanitarian policy analyst at international aid agency World Vision.

“In this tight budget environment, improving nutrition is one of the most cost-effective ways to address many global problems,” Robert Zachritz, World Vision’s advocacy director, today told a Congressional hearing on global hunger. "While it is a basic human right, access to sufficient food for a healthy, productive life has not been secured for millions around the world and the consequences are more illness and death.”

World Vision writer, James Addis, reports from on the ground in Haiti at a World Vision food distribution.

ADVOCATE for Haiti : Tell President Obama to Put Children First!

ACT NOW: Donate to World Vision's Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund through Facebook Causes.

Mobilize a Prayer Gathering for Haiti on your campus, church, or community.

Couldn't come to Urbana? We're bringing it to you! Here's a virtual tour of the brand-new ACT:S Experience, which illustrates the idea of our ACT:S network and the power of creative activism. If you want to activate your campus, become an ACT:S Mobilizer. 

Thanks for signing up to host a Broken Bread poverty meal and make a real impact in the fight against hunger.  Below are all the resources you need to host a successful Broken Bread poverty meal.  Please e-mail ACT:S if you have any questions.

Written by Andrea Peer, World Vision

Zakaria Amadou is World Vision’s Nutrition Supervisor for the rural region surrounding Maradi, Niger. He trains local community health workers to be able to identify and treat malnourished children and teach parents how to provide balanced diets for their children in order to prevent malnutrition.

Advocate on The Global Food Security Act!

Global hunger is a growing crisis. More than one billion people around the world suffer from serve hunger and another 2 billion are malnourished.  Tragically hunger and malnutrition disproportionately impact the most vulnerable populations. In poor countries, maternal and child undernutrition is the cause of more than one third of all deaths of children under five. 

In a world where we have the knowledge and enough food to prevent human starvation and malnutrition, it is a moral outrage that we have not yet produced the level of political will required to end world hunger.

Speak out to fight hunger: Support the Global Food Security Act