The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said today it’s feeding around 30,000 civilians who have fled violence between the government and opposition forces. Save the Children is aiding the food distributions.
Civilians have taken refugee in UN peacekeeping compounds in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, and Bentiu. The food aid will expand throughout this week to reach other locations.
Read the full article at Examiner.com
Filed under global hunger
The United Nations said yesterday it’s feeding 160,000 victims of recent fighting in the Central African Republic. The White House also announced a US $10 million donation to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) for its relief mission there.
In the Central African Republic (CAR) there are over a million people impacted by hunger.
Read the full article at Examiner.com
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With Congress planning further cuts to food stamps, hunger in America is likely to escalate. Overseas, wars and disasters in Syria, the Philippines, Central African Republic and elsewhere are creating massive hunger emergencies. Rebuilding these countries and their food systems will take years.
We need leadership from our communities and government to fight hunger. We need leadership for the long haul.
Read the full article at The Huffington Post.
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Former Senator Bob Dole received the George McGovern Leadership Award this week for his efforts to fight world hunger. Vice President Biden presented him the award at a ceremony hosted by the World Food Program U.S.A. in Washington, D.C.
Dole reminds us how Democrats and Republicans can actually work together, something they hardly ever do now. Dole formed a great partnership with former Senator George McGovern and the result was policies and programs that fed millions of children.
Biden said of Dole: “I think he exposed, for the first time, the long-term consequences of children not having the right nutrition.”
Dole served with the U.S. military in World War II in Italy. Incidentally, this was one of the countries that benefited from millions of school meals from the United States, both during and after the war.
U.S. Army and relief officials discussed plans on how distributing food at Italian schools would fight hunger and boost class attendance at the same time.
The Greatest Generation understood how important food and nutrition was not just for the U.S. but for overseas. They understood its importance for peace. McGovern and Dole were two of the leaders that emerged from this generation. A global school lunch program is named after them. The duo won the World Food Prize in 2008 for their teamwork against hunger.
The McGovern-Dole Food for Education program is currently feeding children in conflict-torn Mali, Haiti, Ethiopia, Kenya and other countries. The program funds the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children and other aid agencies who distribute the meals. McGovern-Dole is also part of the Farm Bill, a legislation where Democrats and Republicans are not seeing eye to eye.
No agreement is likely this year on the Farm Bill, which decides funding for nutrition programs both here and overseas. It’s a critical piece of legislation in the fight against hunger. The U.S. Food for Peace program is part of the Farm Bill. Food for Peace is the largest supporter of WFP, which feeds the hungry in over seventy countries.
This impasse in D.C. is the last thing we need with hunger escalating at home. Overseas, wars and disasters in Syria, the Philippines, the Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan and many other countries is creating hunger emergencies. Aid groups are unable to keep up.
If the U.S. Congress does not pass legislation supporting international food aid, then hunger and chaos will worsen overseas.
As Congress works on the Farm Bill they need to capture the approach of Dole and his generation. They need to take action against hunger and do so in a bipartisan approach. Congress should support domestic and international food aid on the Farm Bill.
Dole said when receiving his award: ” It should be our aspiration to aim higher and to strive harder to make the world a better place for millions of hungry children around the world.”
originally published at the Huffington Post
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Pope Francis can unite the world in ending hunger
Catholic Relief Services announced that Pope Francis would be leading a major initiative to end world hunger.
A global wave of prayer will start at noon on Tuesday, December 10th on the Pacific island of Samoa. The prayer will move through each time zone for the next 24 hours.
The public is asked to become a voice for the hungry. There are 842 million people worldwide who suffer from hunger. Children perish each day because they cannot get food, even though there is enough on the planet.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), in its 70th year, will play a leading role along with Caritas International in the campaign.
CRS emerged during the darkest hours of World War II, when civilization had seen the greatest level of devastation. They lit a candle with caring and generosity to light others and change the world.
The mission was clear. From the Philippines to Austria, there was widespread suffering from the war. Relief had to come quickly. There was also the need to rebuild as millions were left hungry and homeless long after the guns of World War II fell silent. The catholic community came up with a plan called, “Give Thanks by Giving.”
When the holidays came, churches were not just for services, but also collection points for canned goods and monetary donations. Supplies were then shipped overseas to the starving.
CRS, then known as War Relief Services or Catholic Welfare Conference, got its start. During the Korean war CRS aided refugees. Ever since that time, CRS has been coming to rescue those in need.
At this very moment, CRS is providing aid in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan. They are putting up emergency shelters for those who lost their homes to the high winds and flooding.
In Mali, CRS is feeding children with meals at school, thanks to a grant from the US McGovern-Dole Food for Education program. Mali has been through drought and conflict just within the last year.
In Burkina Faso, CRS is also using grants from the McGovern-Dole and Food for Peace programs to provide school meals. CRS looks at the long-term. Local production of food is an element of the Mali and Burkina Faso programs. In the long run communities must be able to stand on their own. That is the right approach to ending hunger.
Both Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole need funding on the coming Farm Bill legislation. It is absolutely critical to support these U.S. government programs to end world hunger. The public can make this loud and clear to their elected officials.
Food for Peace is the largest support of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), which is the largest hunger relief organization. WFP is providing food to Syrian war victims and millions of others around the world. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they are feeding the hungry. This may soon tragically stop because of lack of funding.
To end hunger you must build peace. And to preserve peace you must end hunger. This is an area CRS specializes in. In South Sudan, CRS has a food security program in the state of Jonglei, a region that has been through immense conflict and hunger.
Gabriel Kuereng, a CRS field coordinator, explains, “The war left us in bad shape. We still think that this community did this or this community did that. We need the government to intervene and help us forgive each other. We need to build an identity of nationhood where we all say we are South Sudanese — not ‘I am a Dinka or I am Nuer.’ When we reconcile, cattle raiding will stop, because we will not blame others.”
There is far more that binds religions and faiths than divides them. All share the goal of feeding the hungry. The famous European Relief Council following World War One was made up of many different religious groups.
It’s all about coming together. If that happens, hunger can be defeated. If that happens, then weapons of war can be put down and people can be fed. But only if people remain united behind this cause.
Sara Fajardo of CRS talked to a farmer in South Sudan, Zakariah, who said, “Working together, we’ve realized we produce more as a group. We can produce something that can be taught to many people. We have a saying… ‘If you have one stick, it is easy to break. But if you have a bundle of sticks, it is hard to break.’ That means when you bring a group of people together, you become very strong. It is hard to break a group.”
True for South Sudan and true for the world, as we embark on the quest to defeat man’s ancient enemy of hunger.
originally published at The Huffington Post
Filed under global hunger
Congress is threatening to cut food aid in the Farm Bill.
We need a Farm Bill that fights hunger in America and preserves the food stamp (SNAP) program. There are millions of Americans struggling because of unemployment and low wages. Yet, SNAP cuts took effect November 1st and more might be on the way depending what Congress does.
Feeding America’s Bob Aiken says, “We’ve seen throughout our network of food banks the impact that these cuts are already beginning to have — with longer lines and an anticipated growth in need. Our food banks are stretched and charity alone can’t make up for this cut to federal assistance”
Cuts to food stamps is not going to create jobs and higher wages. In fact, it will harm hungry Americans and grocers where the stamps are redeemed. Part of the House proposal on SNAP also includes eliminating free school meals for 210,000 children. Why is nutrition and education being cut?
The Farm Bill is equally important for our foreign policy. The U.S. Food for Peace initiative is the single largest donor to the UN World Food Program, which fights hunger in over 70 countries.
Food for Peace donations feed people in the Philippines, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Yemen, Haiti, Mali and many other countries. With so many wars and disasters ongoing more food is desperately needed. Children are starving in these countries.
They are not asking for much. They just want a life-saving treatment of Plumpy’Nut to prevent the irreversible effects of malnutrition. Or a child whose life could be changed if there could be a school meal. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN had to cut school meals and nutrition for children because of low funds.
As George Marshall once said, “hunger and insecurity are the worst enemies of peace.” That philosophy guided U.S. foreign policy during our Greatest Generation. Food was the driver of writing the peace. It should be that way today too.
Congress has to get its act together and pass a Farm Bill with a strong Food for Peace program. This should include local purchase of food as was done recently when a donation allowed WFP to buy rice from farmers in the Philippines.
The McGovern-Dole global school lunch effort also needs a boost. There are millions of hungry children whose lives could be changed by some school meals.
We can’t just drift along pretending there is not a major world hunger crisis ongoing that is a danger to everyone’s security.
Domestically, Congress needs to strengthen our nutrition programs. Our food banks need support as they help hungry Americans get back on their feet. Congress has to realize this and finish a responsible Farm Bill.
article originally published at The Huffington Post.
Filed under global hunger
Marathon Champ Paul Tergat, a WFP School Meals Ambassador, distributing food in Kenya. (WFP/Francesco Broli)
Thanksgiving is upon us. So too is the famous shopping day Black Friday. It’s also the anniversary of a great American initiative. This one started after World War II when Americans fed a “silent guest” at their holiday meals.
It was dreamed up by a former aspiring actress named Iris Gabriel. She gave up on Hollywood only to find her biggest role was in feeding the starving people in the war devastated countries in Europe.
At Thanksgiving on 1947 Americans were asked to imagine taking in one of the world’s hungry to their holiday celebration. They could mail the cost to feed that “silent guest” to a committee in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the home of Thanksgiving. A CARE package was then sent to a hungry person overseas.
The “silent guest” plan was endorsed by governors around the country including Robert Bradford of Massachusetts, a descendant of the Pilgrims.
As this Thanksgiving and Black Friday approaches, there are two huge emergencies ongoing in the Middle East and the Philippines. The war in Syria has left millions displaced and hungry. The colder temperatures are moving in too making relief even more difficult.
The super typhoon Haiyan has destroyed whole communities in the Philippines, leaving them without food, water or housing. The United Nations says 11.5 million people are affected by the Typhoon and 544,606 people are displaced. Food, clean water, medicine and shelter are desperately needed. Hunger, malnutrition and disease will escalate among the population unless aid arrives in time. The storm’s impact can last long past the event itself.
At this very moment Catholic Relief Services is helping provide emergency shelters. This is especially crucial with the risk of more rains coming.
So this holiday season help a ‘silent guest” by donating to a humanitarian agency like Save the Children, Catholic Relief Services, World Food Programme, UNICEF and at your local food bank.
And you can also donate without opening your wallet by using the free hunger fighting app Charity Miles or playing the online game FreeRice.
Thanksgiving and Black Friday should be about sharing. For only by doing so can we have a world of peace, goodwill and hope.
This commentary originally appeared at the Orange County Register newspaper.
Filed under global hunger
Imagine, for a moment, losing your home and having to flee to another state or country. When natural disasters or war strike, these worst fears become reality.
As this holiday season approaches, there are millions of people in the Philippines and the Middle East who just want the basics of food, water and shelter.
Last week heavy fighting in Syria sent at least 8,000 people running for their lives into neighboring Lebanon.
“The majority of them are women and children and some of them reported shelling and clashes along displacement routes on the way to Arsal,” UN World Food Programme spokesperson Laure Chadraoui told me.
The World Food Programme (WFP) is bringing them aid packages. Some of these refugees had already been displaced once within Syria before now finally being forced out of their home country.
Once in Lebanon, Syrian refugees are not completely safe. Cold and hunger threaten them. The UN Refugee Agency says many “live in poor accommodation in informal settlements, unfinished buildings, garages, worksites and warehouses that are not properly insulated against the cold climate.”
Francine Uenuma of Save the Children, says, “when I was in Lebanon last February, when it was extremely cold, and many of the kids were outside in sandals. Many also had coughs — the sub-zero temperatures mean many face chest infections, not to mention other health problems like hypothermia and frostbite.”
Syrians have also fled to Jordan, Iraq, Egypt and Turkey. Throughout the Middle East there are over two million Syrian refugees. Aid groups and host governments are facing a huge task to help these war victims, many who have lost everything.
In Iraq, WFP is providing Plumpy’Doz to small Syrian children who are at risk of severe malnutrition. This special peanut paste can save their lives. The WFP is also providing extra food to children at schools to bolster class attendance and performance.
While this massive relief operation is ongoing in the Middle East, a world away is an emergency in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan. More than 11 million Filipinos were impacted by the high winds, flooding and destruction caused by the storm.
The World Food Programme, UNICEF and other aid groups are rushing to bring them food, water, and medicine. The storm victims need shelter quickly. More rain and storms may be on the way. Aid is needed fast to save lives and to prevent the situation from getting worse.
Consider this: If children, especially, do not get enough nutrients it can cause lasting physical and mental damage. The lack of food or clean water can cause the spread of disease.
As the holidays come before us there is a great tradition called Black Friday, which marks the start of the holiday shopping season. Stores and individuals could donate at least a portion of their sales or purchasing funds toward relief of the suffering people in the Philippines and the Middle East.
Here are lists of some aid agencies with relief funds for the Philippines and for Syria. Some individuals have donated already. It is deeply appreciated too as Jen Hardy of Catholic Relief Services tells us from the Philippines.
Originally published at The Huffington Post.
Filed under global hunger
MSJ student Matthew Kohlmorgen has been doing Charity Miles to raise donations for Feeding America, the largest domestic hunger relief organization. Here is a sample of some of the workouts he has tweeted.
Matthew Kohlmorgen of the College of Mount St. Joseph (MSJ) is using both his writing talent and athletic ability. As a member of the MSJ Charity Miles team he runs to help Feeding America.
Charity Miles is a free app you download onto your smartphone. For every mile you run, walk or bike a donation is made to a charity of your choice, paid for by a corporate sponsorship pool. Through December 17 Lifeway Foods is matching all Charity Miles with a donation to the UN World Food Programme, the leading hunger relief agency in the typhoon-devastated Philippines.
Kohlmorgen is one of the top Charity Milers at MSJ. He is a senior English major and a published writer. In this interview Kohlmorgen discusses Charity Miles and a special project he is working on about Ernest Hemingway.
Q. Which type of workout do you use for Charity Miles?
A. When I use the concrete as my gym I love to just run and forget about everything. Running is a great way to relieve stress and the best part about using Charity Miles is that something so simple as running can make such a difference to people. Lately I have been doing a lot of yoga on account of not having much time to run.
Q. What are some of the charities that you are helping?
A. My favorite is “FEEDING AMERICA” because I have a soft spot for the domestic American family who is suffering, this is something that allows me to feel that I helped put food on a hungry family’s table, just because I go for a run.
Q. Do you have a personal connection with any of the Charity Miles causes?
A. I have been very fortunate and blessed in my life. I don’t know what it is like to go to bed hungry or what the feeling of having to swallow pride and go to a community centre for food feels like. I want to do everything I can to make sure that I give what I have in my life back, I can’t be selfish and forget about those who don’t have all the benefits that I have. If anyone is even remotely charity minded then there is no excuse to not have Charity Miles on your smart phone (an appliance that almost everyone has).
Q. As an English major you are working on a special project involving Ernest Hemingway? Can you tell us about that?
A. Yes! The project has had so much developmental hurdles because there is always that pressure to say something new, but how do you say something new about a man who has been so intimately studied by just about every single respectable institution? If we are talking about a Hemingway book that analyzes him as a writer, human being, or journalist then there is absolutely nothing new to say. However, in fiction there is so much to approach because that gives an audience of fans and non-fans a chance to see him from a different lens and having him opposite one of his contemporaries who has just as much intellectual and creative gravity would be fascinating-that is why I chose Orson Welles vs all the others in his generation. To see Hemingway argue with someone who wasn’t weaker than him, who could drink as much as him, and who could possibly outwit him is something I would like to see myself. Luckily, no one has made such a play so as a fan that is why I am pursuing this. Finally, I have always thought that Hemingway deserved a medium that approached him with a new perspective, that perspective being something that shows everything he was. The suicidal and mentally ill individual, the warm and caring father, the drunken misogynist, the close friend and argumentative writer. There are whole books dedicated to every topic I just mentioned, but nothing that has tackled the entirety of his complex personality. Fiction allows me to do that, and I needed someone who would be able to contend with him in all those areas, to me that was Orson Welles.
Q. Did Hemingway happen to spend time in the Philippines?
A. little bit of time yes, as far as I can determine he really didn’t do much profound thinking there. I hate to admit it but I had to really research (aka Google) that one. He was there in 1941, right after his marriage to famed war correspondent Martha Gellhorn. He spent time in the famous Manila hotel drinking, bull fighting, and boxing, pretty conventional behavior for the Hem.
Q. Can someone follow your Charity Miles workouts?
A. Of course! My Twitter account is Twitter.com/MKohlmorgen.
Bill, it as always has been a pleasure and congrats on being a blogger for the HuffPost!
Filed under global hunger
The new Hunger Games film is teaming with the World Food Programme and Feeding America. World Food Programme. (WFP photo)
The New Hunger Games movie: Catching Fire has so much potential beyond being a stellar film. With extra imagination, and a little inspiration from history, this blockbuster can make a difference fighting world hunger.
The Hunger Games is teaming up with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Feeding America. The mission is to feed the hungry.
A special web site has been set up to get fans involved. There is information about the global hunger crisis. There are even Hunger Games prizes for the film, which stars Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth. A site dedicated to the first Hunger Games movie is also available. You can take a special quiz and see a video message from Jennifer Lawrence.
This is a great opportunity for the movie industry to use its powerful influence to help bring relief to the starving children in Syria, Mali, Haiti, Sudan, Afghanistan, and the Central African Republic.
This takes on even more urgency with the recent disaster in the Philippines, where a typhoon has left millions at risk of hunger and malnutrition. WFP is the lead agency in feeding storm victims.
The UN food agency, which relies on voluntary donations, is already stretched thin by the hunger crisis caused by the war in Syria. The Hunger Games, with its powerful media influence, can be a support in raising funds and awareness.
We know this can work. History tell us so. With famine lurking over Europe in the aftermath of World War I, the young motion picture industry came to the rescue.
Herbert Hoover and General John Pershing appealed for donations to the European Relief Council. As part of this campaign the movie industry held fundraisers nationwide. A two reel film was specially prepared for theaters. Stars made appearances at films to help the cause.
In Louisville, Kentucky two young local dancers performed at the Majestic and Crown Theaters. The Louisville Courier Journal proudly ran an article about its local talent with the headline “They’re Helping Europe’s Children.” Millions of Europeans received food from this outpouring of support in America.
During World War II films were used by American Relief for Norway and other groups to inform and raise donations. After World War II a film called the Seeds of Destiny won an Academy Award for showing the plight of the starving overseas. This film was influential in helping secure the food that was needed for the rebuilding of the war devastated nations.
Now today there are 842 million people worldwide suffering from hunger. In America, cuts to the food stamps program is going to place a huge strain on Feeding America’s network of food banks. The WFP and Feeding America each need support for their hunger relief missions.
When you go to the movie theater, think of sending the cost of an extra ticket to the World Food Programme or Feeding America. If a ticket costs 10 dollars, that is equal to around 40 meals donated.
Feeding a “silent guest,” one of the world’s hungry, was a big hit in America after World War II. You can carry on that tradition with the Hunger Games film and throughout the holidays.
You can get started by visiting the Hunger Games site. Then let your own imagination take over from there.
Originally published at The Huffington Post.
Filed under global hunger
Author William Lambers 