Yesterday's question was a lead in to today's blog entry.
~Did you know a mere $13 can feed a child for a month? That is less than it costs for a family of 2 to go out for a fast food dinner one time a month!
~Did you know a mere $78 can feed a family of six for one month? That is less than most people spend on groceries for a week!
~Did you know $520 can feed 40 children for a month? That is less than one month's rent for almost any family!
~Did you know $3,250 can feed 250 children for a month?
WHAT IS THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS?
The World Food Programme calls the global food crisis a phenomenon, a "silent tsunami," that is affecting families in every nation on every continent. Food prices for popular menu items like rice, wheat and beans have doubled in the last year. Though increases in food prices have hit all budgets, it's the poor who bear the brunt of price inflation. The higher prices are forcing people who survive on just $1 a day to spend upwards of 80 percent of their budgets just on food. As a result, many people, including millions of children, are going hungry. The longer food prices rise, the more people will be plunged into hunger and poverty.
WHAT IS CAUSING THE CRISIS?
Since 2005, food prices have risen a whopping 80 percent because of...
• rising fuel costs
• rising food demand from populous nations like India and China
• natural disasters destroying crop yields all over the world, including the United States
• growth of biofuels
The global food crisis is forcing poor families to spend more of their household budgets on food, leaving little for anything else. In Bangladesh, 95% of the 11,782 children Compassion serves there are affected. Many children are eating only at the church-based center (also known as a Compassion project). In Haiti, inflation rates have risen 40%, pushing up food prices. All 60,000 children served by Compassion in Haiti have been affected by the food crisis there.
Experts predict the combination of a weakening dollar, soaring oil prices, and reduction in food production will not dissipate. They are predicting this long-term crisis will tighten its grip on poor countries, causing more children and families to suffer.
ABOUT THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS FUND
Compassion International has launched the Global Food Crisis Fund to bring aid to those most adversely affected by rising food costs. More information is available and donations can be made at https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/global-food-crisis.htm
Donations to the fund will provide:
• food vouchers to children and families needing immediate relief.
• seeds and agricultural tools so that families can grow their own food as well as earn extra income.
• supplemental nutrition services offered at Compassion-assisted centers around the world.
ABOUT COMPASSION'S DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING
Compassion International has set aside June 25 as a day of fasting and prayer to honor the victims of the global food crisis and pray for them.
You can help these families in need. Consider donating to the Global Food Crisis Fund, joining in the day of fasting and prayer on June 25th (that's tomorrow), and/or sponsoring a child. You can make a difference!
Wow! We take so much for granted, don't we? We have luxuries in this country and we're so used to them that we don't even know how to do with out them!
ReplyDeleteI saw on 60 minutes Sunday night that they are making something called Plumpy Nut (a mixture of peanut butter, powdered milk, powdered sugar and vitamins) that is helping a country (I forget - it starts with a 'N') with it's malnourished and starving children.
Thanks for the post - it's a good one!
This is a really powerful post, Lorelai.
ReplyDeleteIt's important for us to remember that no matter how much inflation has tightened our budgets, we are still incredibly lucky.
Shouldn't you have been listening in class instead of blogging! ;-)
ReplyDelete@Bubba - actually, I typed up and set that post a few days ago and just set it to post today. LOL! Smart, huh???? :-P
ReplyDelete[...] For each word you get correct, 20 grains of rice will be donated through the UN World Food Program to help support those hit hardest by the world food crisis. [...]
ReplyDeleteWell said. I'm working my way thru the compassion bloggers to read what has been said. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete