According to the figures shared by the World Food Programme, as many as 783 million people are facing chronic hunger. Exploring the causes of global food poverty, it blames current wars and conflict, global economic crisis and climate changes for the existing level of hunger.
What is Food Poverty?
Food poverty is the lack of ability of a person or a family to secure sufficient and nutritious food, as the British Red Cross puts it. It can affect low-income families with limited resources to plan and prepare healthy meals for themselves and their children. Food insecurity is the difficulty in affording fresh ingredients to cook wholesome meals at home.
The British Red Cross warns against local food shortages, which have the potential to cause a world hunger crisis. It is easy to assume that world starvation is a thing of the past. But even in this day and age, populations across Africa, Asia and the Middle East are going through a hunger crisis. It includes parts of Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Somalia, which are hit by the worst food poverty ever. According to the estimates, 150 million people are fighting food shortages, with no access to the basic food they need for survival.
“Hunger is Not an Issue of Charity. It is an Issue of Justice.”
(Jacques Diouf)
Effects of Food Poverty
Food poverty has a huge impact on people’s lives in many parts of the world. It might result in life-threatening consequences for many. They might be forced to face one of the following effects:
Skipping meals, which can lead to starvation.
Selling valuable assets, some of which might be the only source of generating income.
Being forced into work exploitation such as child labour or illegal work, exposing them to violence.
Being forced into early marriages; this is particularly the case for young girls so that parents have fewer childcare costs.
Causes and Effects of Famine
There can be a multitude of causes that lead to famine, including war, conflict, natural disaster, climate change and economic crisis. People going through war and fighting lose everything they possess. They are forced to escape to a comparatively safer area with no resources to support themselves.
Unfortunately, the world has recently seen many wars. Currently, a similar situation has unfolded in Palestine after months-long bombing, air strikes and ground attacks. In addition to facing deaths and heartache, people in Gaza are dependent on external aid for their day-to-day survival and medical needs.
Recent earthquakes in Turkey and Morocco are another example of how natural disasters cripple a region’s economic and agricultural resources, paving the way for famines. A famine plunges an area into poverty and hunger in a way that it becomes extremely difficult for the responsible authority to help it get back on its feet.
How You Can Help Fight Food Poverty
Food poverty can hit anyone in any part of the world. Do not leave them alone while they fight hunger. Play your part to make the situation better by doing whatever you can within your ability and power. Imagine the worry of families suffering from deprivation. The Muslims are urged to take an active part in helping those going through hunger.
“And They Give Food, Out of Their Love for Him (Allah), to the Needy, and the Orphan, and the Captive.” [Al-Quran 76:8]
As individuals, many of us are able to do one of the following:
Create awareness of the damages caused by war and conflict, which not only affect a particular region but also have an impact on the rest of the world in many ways.
Support educational programmes on climate change.
Promote awareness of sustainable agriculture – stressing the need for water supply, necessary pesticides and relevant seed research.
Advocate better educational opportunities for everyone, particularly in deprived areas, to prepare well-equipped human resources for a growing employment system.
Support the organisations helping world hunger.
Volunteer for charities or relevant institutions to raise funds or disseminate useful information.
Charity Meals is a global hunger charity dedicated to providing hot meals and food parcels to poverty-stricken areas in many countries around the world. Donate generously to one of the appeals put forward by Charity Meals and participate in the noble deed of eradicating food poverty.
Charity Meals’ Food Poverty Projects
Charity Meals is working hard to fight starvation in multiple countries across the world. It is a global hunger charity with a vision to build a world where no one has to go hungry. Some of its current appeals include community meals - which provide food parcels to deserving families, children’s school meals and community food kitchen projects. Charity Meals’ aid programmes venture to address the causes of world hunger by educating needy communities on healthy eating habits and being self-sufficient in procuring nourishing food. Donate generously to one of the programmes and earn rewards in abundance.
