Category Archives: global hunger

June 12, 2013 · 1:21 pm

Interview: Tristan Chaput on Charity Miles for college

Charity Miles, the free smartphone app that lets you raise money to support causes while exercising, is taking the world by storm. Colleges is one of the places where this technological breakthrough in charity is happening.

At the College of Mount St. Joseph in Ohio students are using the app. Tristan Chaput, the president of the Campus Activities Board there, talks about Charity Miles on her campus. She hopes that the school will be “national champs” in this charity sport.

How did you decide to get MSJ involved in Charity Miles?

It was really a spur of the moment thing! I was first introduced to Charity Miles through author William Lambers after winning a contest that he put together. I downloaded the app and used it when I was walking around campus from class to class and then I realized that the miles were really adding up. Bill mentioned making it a school-wide event. I am on the Campus Activities Board (CAB) at the Mount, so I brought it to the executive board. Everybody seemed excited about the idea of it, so it really took off. Some of our executive members are the ones who have collected the most miles so far. To get the campus involved, we decided to have a summer contest and see who can collect the most miles (the winner gets a prize). So far Mount students have collected 64.805 miles.

What kinds of charities are benefiting from your workouts?

Lately I have been working out for She’s the First, an organization that seeks to give girls in developing countries an education, since they are new to Charity Miles. I also do workouts for Wounded Warrior Project, Feeding America, and World Food Programme.

How many Charity Miles have you collected so far this summer?

19.602 miles

Do you think MSJ could be the leading college in terms of Charity Miles, even national champs?

I really think we could! Unlike larger campuses where you have to take shuttle buses from one side of campus to the other, MSJ is so small we walk everywhere! I know from experience that this is a great way to earn some Charity Miles! We also have a campus that is full of people who are always doing service, whether it’s service hours for a class or simply volunteering during his/her free time.

How does someone get involved with Charity Miles at your school and in the community?

For the community, it’s easy. All you have to do is download the free app Charity Miles on your iPhone or Android. Before your workout begins decide whether you want to walk, run, or bike. Then simply select the charity you want to help and press start. Students have one extra step they need to complete. At the end of the workout they need to either “share” their workout on CAB’s Facebook page (Campus Activities Board – MSJ) or on CAB’s Twitter page (@CAB_MSJ). When they do this they are automatically entered to win prizes.

article originally published at Cincinnati.com

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May 27, 2013 · 6:13 pm

Haiti Faces a Summer of Hunger

A series of disasters, coupled with low funding for aid agencies, places millions of Haitians at risk of severe hunger. (WFP/Stephanie Tremblay)

A series of disasters, coupled with low funding for aid agencies, places millions of Haitians at risk of severe hunger.
(WFP/Stephanie Tremblay)

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed today it will not be able to provide summer school feeding for children in Haiti.

The UN food agency, which depends on voluntary donations, is already short on resources for many of its programs to help Haiti recover from a series of disasters.

In addition, a WFP take-home ration plan for 200,000 school children lacks funding to get started. This food aid is essential for families suffering from severe hunger and it allows their children to stay in school.

There are 6.7 million people, over half the population, that suffer from hunger in Haiti. Alejandro Chicheri of WFP says that of this number, around 1.5 million Haitians face severe hunger. Drought and a series of storms severely damaged agriculture, placing already impoverished families under additional stress.

A report from the Famine Early Warning System stated, “despite the evident readiness of local farmers, poor seed availability is threatening the success of this year’s crops…. Poor households in many rural areas could still be facing a food shortage directly after the July harvest.”

The charity Live Beyond provides food, water and medicine in Haiti and says it is “providing bags of rice and beans” at its medical clinics, “to ensure that the sickest of the sick are able to continue living through this period of starvation.”

At a fundraising event, actress and activist Kimberly Williams-Paisley recently said, “The phrase you hear most often in the LiveBeyond Mobile clinics is ‘Mwen grangou’ or I am hungry.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress is threatening to reduce funding for the Food for Peace and the McGovern-Dole programs, both which help Haiti. President Obama is urging Congress not to cut these aid programs, which already are a relatively tiny part of the federal budget.

The World Food Programme continues to work with the Haitian government to build a national school lunch program. WFP provides meals during the school year to hundreds of thousands of children. The goal is for Haiti to run this program entirely using locally produced food.

These goals though cannot be obtained unless Haiti has the food supply to endure the reconstruction.

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May 25, 2013 · 10:45 pm

The ‘Yes, We Can” Attitude of the Soldiers of the ARA

This Memorial Day we can remember the World War One Legacy of Humanitarianism (National World War I Memorial)

This Memorial Day we can remember the World War One Legacy of Humanitarianism (National World War I Memorial)

Memorial Day is here. It is a chance to remember lost loved ones. There are also the stories of others that may be lost in time, but not in value and spirit. Let’s remember them too.

A dedicated soldier, a member of the American Relief Administration after World War I, who lost his life to smallpox while trying to feed the hungry and sick.

Or a young lieutenant who was given the task of feeding the starving in Montenegro, a region in Europe that had been devastated during that war.

This part of Montenegro was a mountainous area, and with the onset of winter in 1918-19, it was a major challenge to bring relief supplies. Heavy snow had arrived and with damaged bridges and roads, people had given up hope they could be saved.

The New York Times reported on the grave circumstances and the rush of American officers to save lives.  People were already living off grass and the death rate soared as winter set in. It would be hard for large supplies of food to reach the suffering.

The starving people told the young American lieutenant,“you can’t save us.”

The lieutenant replied, “Yes, we can.” He planted an American flag on one of their churches and went to work. The American Relief Administration used cables to swing food over broken bridges. They used burros and horses to move food over miles of snowy mountain trails.

The lieutenant’s report on the heroic mission exclaimed “we did it. The people in this district are now happily eating American flour and pork. They have stopped digging graves and are, instead, planting their crops for this year’s harvest.”

That is what American humanitarianism is all about. Helping others, giving them a chance to survive and restore themselves. The American Relief Administration also provided free school meals in war-devastated countries, which brought millions of children back to health.

The same thing is being done today in conflict-torn Mali by Catholic Relief Services, through a grant by the U.S. McGovern-Dole program. That program was named after two veterans of the Second World War, George McGovern and Bob Dole.

It was Herbert Hoover who said famine is the inevitable aftermath of war. We saw that after  both world wars. Only humanitarian aid prevented mass starvation. We are seeing the effect today of war in Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan and other countries where hunger escalates as a result of conflict. The World Food Programme, the largest hunger fighting organization today,  is rushing aid to Syrian war victims as we speak.

On this Memorial Day remember too the humanitarian heroes, such as the amazing officers of the American Relief Administration. They were part of the American Army which won a war that many hoped would be followed by lasting peace, freedom for all, and freedom from famine.

While those goals have not been achieved, we need keep up the fight for those ideals which they so bravely pursued. This is the best gratitude we can give them.

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May 17, 2013 · 1:12 pm

Why FreeRice is so important for Niger

FreeRice has two goals: Provide education to everyone for free. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

FreeRice has two goals: Provide education to everyone for free. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

When you go online to play the award-winning game FreeRice you are currently helping feed school children in Niger. This is a country in the Sahel region of Africa where the UN  World Food Programme says, “2.5 million people are in a permanent state of food insecurity, unable to meet basic food requirements even under normal conditions.”

Millions of others also suffer from hunger during different periods of the year, between harvests for example. With such extreme hunger and poverty parents may withdraw their  children from school, unless there is the incentive of food.

Here is an excerpt of a report from the World Food Programme:

The school feeding programme successfully encourages enrollment and attendance of children,  and reduces drop-out rates, in primary schools in structurally  vulnerable areas of Niger through the provision of cooked meals. In  order to address the gender gap in enrollment and reduce drop-out rates,  WFP provides a dry, take-home family ration to girls enrolled and attending the final  years of primary school. At the request of the Government, WFP and UNICEF are working to expand in nomadic areas.”

By playing FreeRice you are helping children get food and education. With the SAT tests coming up in June, millions of high school students in the U.S. could actually prepare for this test and help Niger by using the FreeRice SAT prep section.

Start playing at FreeRice.com.

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May 12, 2013 · 2:47 am

This Mother’s Day, Help Save a Child’s Life

A mother attends to her severely malnourished child at an inpatient feeding centre in Mao, Chad. Plumpy'Nut is used to treat this potentially deadly condition (UNICEF Chad/2011/ Esteve)

A mother attends to her severely malnourished child at an inpatient feeding centre in Mao, Chad. Plumpy’Nut is used to treat this potentially deadly condition (UNICEF Chad/2011/ Esteve)

For Mother’s Day we can make a difference for the millions of hungry children around the world who struggle to survive the first 1000 days of life. As Herbert Hoover once said about the tragedy of hunger, it “sits beside every anxious mother three times each day.”

Infants caught in war, disaster and poverty zones in Afghanistan, Haiti, Yemen, Syria, Mali, South Sudan, Pakistan and other nations often do not get access to the nutrition that they need.

When this happens, they suffer lasting physical or mental damage, or even death.

UNICEF said in a recent report, “Globally, about one in four children under five years old are stunted.” Generation after generation in these countries are stunted in growth and mind.

If the hunger-afflicted nations had enough supply of the miracle food Plumpy’Nut we could stabilize the malnutrition emergency, and save a generation. Only then, with healthy children, can a nation develop the longer-term solutions to hunger and poverty.

On this Mother’s Day remember the millions of infants around the world who just need these 33- cent packets of food to avoid the potential catastrophe in those early years.

Providence-based Edesia, UNICEF and Save the Children are some of the charities that need donations to buy Plumpy’Nut. Millions of children and their mothers can be spared the tragedy of hunger and malnutrition.

That is the gift they need most of all.

Originally published at Cincinnati.com

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April 30, 2013 · 10:45 pm

Catholic Relief Services Wants McGovern-Dole Expanded to Fight World Hunger

McGovern-Dole funding is allowing CRS to provide school meals in war-devastated Mali, where poverty rates are high. (Kristina Brayman/CRS)

McGovern-Dole funding is allowing CRS to provide school meals in war-devastated Mali, where poverty rates are high. (Kristina Brayman/CRS)

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has a long history of supporting school meals around the world, dating back to the World War II era. Now CRS is calling on Congress to fund the McGovern-Dole global school meals program at $250 million this year. Previous funding levels are around $205 million.

School meals make foreign policy sense. Sean Callahan of CRS recently stated before Congress, “Education and nutrition are inextricably linked to future economic growth.”

That is why CRS wants to see the McGovern-Dole initiative expanded. Haiti, Afghanistan and many other countries need support for school feeding. In Mali, where conflict and drought have devastated the lives of millions, school meals are a big part of aiding children.

CRS received a McGovern-Dole grant for Mali and it’s making a difference. At last report, CRS is “currently serving 310 schools in two regions and approximately 58,000 beneficiaries.” CRS provides meals as well as vitamins and medications to the school children.

Callahan adds, “The program has helped to increase school enrollment for girls by 41% and for boys by 22%. On average, students attended school 95% of the days classes were held.”

The CRS Mali program also has elements of local food production for providing the meals. This is key. Where possible, the food for school meals needs to come from local sources. This helps communities and furthers the stability of the program so that continued aid is not needed.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) also is providing school meals in Mali. The UN food agency relies on voluntary funding but often struggles to receive it. Expanding McGovern-Dole, for instance, could allow an opportunity to support WFP and its school feeding in Mali.

The Congress will have an opportunity to increase the McGovern-Dole funding in the upcoming Farm Bill legislation.

Article first published as Catholic Relief Services Wants McGovern-Dole Expanded to Fight World Hunger on Blogcritics.

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April 10, 2013 · 11:16 pm

The Boston Marathon Winner Who Fed the Hungry

Schoolchildren from Asprangeli, Greece, enjoy a mid-day meal, with food provided by the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration after World War II. (Harry S. Truman Library)

Schoolchildren from Asprangeli, Greece, enjoy a mid-day meal, with food provided by the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration after World War II. (Harry S. Truman Library)

The suspense is building for the Boston Marathon, which comes next Monday. Who will take the prize this year? While we wait for the big race it’s worth remembering the 1946 winner, Stylianos Kyriakides of Greece, where the idea of the marathon originated.

For his run was more than about making it over Heartbreak Hill and onto victory. His mission was to bring attention to famine and suffering in his homeland.

During World War II the German Army practically left Greece in ruins and short on food. Aid was desperately needed.

April 1946 was a pivotal time in world history; hunger then was the World War II enemy that had yet to be defeated. President Harry Truman sent Herbert Hoover on a worldwide mission to fight famine, including a visit to Greece.

Truman even delivered a national address on food conservation the night before the race, stating, “we cannot ignore the cry of hungry children. Surely we will not turn our backs on the millions of human beings begging for just a crust of bread. The warm heart of America will respond to the greatest threat of mass starvation in the history of mankind.”

For Kyriakides, the Boston Marathon offered an opportunity to shine the spotlight on the hunger in his homeland. He faced a tough challenge.

There was the defending champion Johnny Kelley and other great runners to contend with. Kyriakides also had to overcome years of living in the harsh occupation conditions with below-average nutrition. His life had been spared by German troops because he was a marathoner and had competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Kyriakides overcame the odds, overcame the great Johnny Kelley, and sprinted to victory in the marathon. When he crossed the finish line he shouted “For Greece!” for he knew what this victory would mean in telling the world of his country’s plight. His mission though was not over even after he crossed the finish line. Next was touring the country to raise donations for Greek relief.

As this Boston Marathon fast approaches we must remember that famine conditions have not left the world, even long after World War II. There are 870 million people worldwide who suffer from hunger. There are wars in Syria, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Mali and other areas where severe hunger has taken hold. Children die each day from malnutrition and others are stunted in growth forever. Many infants can be saved by a 33 cent package of Plumpy’Nut, a nutrient-rich peanut paste produced by Providence- based Edesia.

Millions of school-age children in these countries struggle to get one meal a day. If they could receive food at school they might have a chance at a future. It costs about 25 cents for the World Food Program to provide them a school meal each day. Yet, it is difficult to get funding for hunger relief. There are so many instances of food aid programs being reduced or even being cut because not enough donations come in from around the world. In Haiti, for instance, school meals are considered the cornerstone of the country’s reconstruction, a helping hand to unlock the potential in the country.

Many years have passed since Kyriakides accomplished what might be called one of the first Charity Mile runs. His legacy can continue. There is a way runners, as well as walkers and bikers, can make an impact on this struggle against hunger.

There is a free app you can download onto your smartphone at CharityMiles.org. The app tracks your distances and for every mile you cover donations are made to a charity of your choice. The U.N. World Food Program as well as Feeding America, are two of the charities that you can raise donations for.

So when this Boston Marathon arrives the competitors can also make a statement as Kyriakides did, by running the historic race and and making hunger history at the same time.

Article first published as The Boston Marathon Winner Who Fed the Hungry on Blogcritics and the Providence Journal.

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April 7, 2013 · 2:44 am

Aid Groups Need Access to Starving People in Sudan’s South Kordofan State

Thousands have been displaced by the conflicts in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states in Sudan. These areas are facing a hunger crisis and aid groups need access. Credit: UNHCR

Thousands have been displaced by the conflicts in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states in Sudan. These areas are facing a hunger crisis and aid groups need access. Credit: UNHCR

This week the UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced it had started distributing aid in Sudan‘s conflict-affected Blue Nile state. Previously WFP had not been granted access to this area where rebels (SPLM-N) are fighting Sudan’s government.

Now food aid must be allowed into South Kordofan state which, like Blue Nile, has been devastated by this same conflict. There are reports of tremendous suffering in South Kordofan. Yet aid is not allowed to go through.

View slideshow: Hunger and displacement from conflicts in South Kordofan and Blue NileIn a joint statement in March, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, and UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said: “We remain deeply concerned by the security and humanitarian situation in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states in Sudan. It is imperative that both Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) seize the opportunity of direct talks to address the urgent need for a cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access to all areas, and the longer-term political solution. We welcome SPLM-N’s acceptance of the invitation to direct talks and urge the Government of Sudan to do the same, without pre-conditions.”

Currently, the World Food Programme and aid groups are able to operate only in the government-held areas of South Kordofan. Save the Children Sweden has done nutrition screenings for children under five years old in parts of South Kordofan under government control. So far 89,482 have been screened with around 15,000 of the children either moderately or severely malnourished. Plumpy’Nut, a special peanut paste, is being used to treat the children. Without the treatment children will suffer lasting physical and mental damage from malnutrition.

With reports of people living off roots and leaves in the conflict zones of South Kordofan, malnutrition rates would be expected to go much higher. The World Food Programme and other aid groups need access to all of South Kordofan.

Meanwhile, funding is urgently needed for the relief effort in Blue Nile. WFP Sudan Country Director Adnan Khan, speaking of Blue Nile, says, “While we continue to strive for access to all areas, this is still a major breakthrough which will enable us to assist those who continue to be displaced by the conflict or those who have decided to return to their homes and are in dire need of food assistance. For this immediate response, we will need an additional US $20.5 million which will be used to buy 17,000 metric tons of food.”

Article first published as Aid Groups Need Access to Starving People in Sudan’s South Kordofan State on Blogcritics.

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April 7, 2013 · 2:29 am

WFP and Yemen Sign Food Aid Agreement, but Funding Remains Low

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced today it had signed two agreements with Yemen‘s government on feeding five million people in the impoverished country. Implementation of the agreement will depend on funding received from the international community.

Lubna Alaman, WFP Country Director says, “This is a critical time for Yemen and we hope that WFP assistance will contribute to the general stabilization of Yemen at an important moment in the transition process. We hope that we receive funding to be able to continue our programmes to reduce acute malnutrition among young mothers and children as well as raise the food consumption levels of families struggling to feed their families and others affected by conflict.”

The food aid will be distributed to families all across Yemen struggling with hunger and high food prices. Internally displaced persons and refugees from Somalia will also benefit. Small children will be provided special nutritional foods to prevent the lasting physical and mental damage caused by malnutrition.

WFP relies on voluntary funding to carry out these programs. Currently only US $127 million of US $242 million has been received. Donors so far include Japan, the United States, Canada, the European Commission, Germany and Finland.

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April 6, 2013 · 2:08 am

Life-Saving Food Needed in Blue Nile, Sudan by May

The fighting in Blue Nile Sudan has caused a hunger and refugee crisis with thousands fleeing to South Sudan and Ethiopia. Many others who remain behind in Blue Nile are suffering from food shortages Credit: UNHCR

The fighting in Blue Nile Sudan has caused a hunger and refugee crisis with thousands fleeing to South Sudan and Ethiopia. Many others who remain behind in Blue Nile are suffering from food shortages Credit: UNHCR

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced yesterday that life-saving food aid is starting to be delivered to the conflict-affected areas of Blue Nile state in Sudan. The government of Sudan had previously blocked WFP from delivering food in Blue Nile.

Blue Nile and South Kordofan have been the scene of conflict since 2011 as Sudan’s government has waged war against rebels who fought with South Sudan during years of Civil War. Thousands have been displaced and fled to South Sudan or Ethiopia. Those who remained have suffered from hunger. There had been reports of people trying to live off roots and leaves from the forest.

To start, WFP is feeding more than 51,000 conflict affected people in Blue Nile. WFP Programme Officer Arduino Mangoni says, “We are giving a two-month ration for this first round of distribution, following an assessment which we carried out early last month in two of the areas most severely affected by the conflict — Geissan and Kurmuk.” The plan is to expand this aid to four other areas of Blue Nile.

Even before the conflict began WFP was providing aid in these areas to 183,000 people. It is now a race against time to provide food in six areas of Blue Nile before the rainy season of May. When the rains come, roads can become impassable making food deliveries difficult or even impossible by truck.

WFP, which relies on voluntary funding, needs US $20.5 million dollars to provide the desperately needed food.

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