One in Seven.

Two things I wanted to share with you:

First, the recent TED talk from the director of the organisation I currently work for. And second, Foreign Policy magazine has just put out a whole issue on Food: "Inside the Geopolitics of a Hungry Planet", which I found quite good. Hunger is obviously in the media spotlight of late, with the Horn of Africa battling famine, complicated by prolonged aid-blockages in Somalia. But this crisis should live with us each and every day until it is no longer that - a crisis. One billion people wake up hungry every day. One in seven people on this planet. Hunger kills more people than AIDS, Malaria and TB combined.  And, as JS says in the TED talk, most of us have a not-too-distant-connection with hunger. My own ancestors endured the famines of Ireland. It really was not that long ago. It brings it home for me. 

To a hungry man, a piece of bread is the face of God. 

 - Gandhi. 

Hungry for 20 years...

I was just reading about the Global Hunger Index and was saddened to observe two countries I deeply care about have shown no improvement in 20 years.. Sudan and Nepal, both still falling into the "Alarming" category.  Cambodia on the other hand, again, close to my heart, has improved from 'Extremely Alarming' down to Alarming. Still not exactly in a great place though, especially considering the amount of aid that has poured into Cambodia over the past 2 decades.  It really makes me think. What are we doing wrong with tackling global hunger? How can we make bigger impacts on poverty reduction? What can we do better? I am motivated though, rather than deterred, to continue to work in this field and work on innovative programmes that explore new ways to secure people's food supply. To hypothesize, trial new ideas and to embrace local knowledge. And be part of a community as we attempt this. 


Drag the pointer on the fancy  map below to any country you are interested in and you can see what it was in 1990 and then today in 2010. You can move the map across with the mr.google handy hand....

We are fishing in the desert...

More reflections on Hunger..

In Nepal and Cambodia the children were so small. Super cute, but small. Ask them their age and it is astounding. The Khmer girl in the photo below was 16. She sold us our bread every day. I used to play with her like a child. When I found out how old she was, that she had never been to school, that she worked every day of her life, I just felt sad every time I saw her.

You see, they don't get enough nutrition for their little bones to grow to their potential. You can read more here and here. But that is not the only thing that does not grow, lowered mental development in children is another effect of hunger and poor nutrition. Not only were they born in some of the hardest places on the planet, but they are mentally and physically behind as well. What hope do they have? If a country's future rides on the shoulders of the next generation, what happens if half of that generation don't get enough to eat? (click here for a photo Essay). What will that future look like I wonder?

The young western Nepalese man holding his daughter below (her hair is bleached of colour due to malnutrition) had just answered our drought survey questions. We had just asked him when his rice-stocks were going to run out. His reply was two weeks. When we then asked what he was planning on doing after that his response was simply "I do not know".

WFP = We Feed People

I do not often write about my work.  Mainly due to the extremely sensitive nature of the country I am based in and the situation for foreigners working here. And many people who ask me what I do seem to have difficulty in understanding how I could enjoy this kind of work- surely its just a case of Logistics? It is, but it is also much more. And the more is the part I enjoy. Food is the most powerful thing on the planet. It controls our every move. There is oil spilling from the soils of this big, wide land, there are Sudanese millionaires scattered around the globe.  And yet, food is the ultimate weapon of mass destruction.

And of course, food is politics. Who has it, who does not, who promises how much of it to who, and what conditions it is ‘donated’ with. Most of all, I think food is injustice. Every 5 seconds a child dies of hunger, somewhere in the world. 18,000 children dead from hunger every single day.  Money, violence, insecurity and politics are part of this seemingly simple task of giving food to those without. Along with nutrition and health and water and education and access and sustainable livelihoods. Its complicated. The concept begins and ends with saving lives but there's so much in between. I learn something new every day..

Rations

Baby girl being weighed

before being started on high-nutrient supplement.

IDP Mothers waiting to register at supplementary feeding.

The camp rations - six commodities, set amounts per person.

Supermarkets will never look the same to me again..