Imagine for a moment you had never been to Earth before…
You might think that a population of 7.89 billion people is a lot (because it certainly is!), but you would still be impressed to hear that the planet produces more than enough food to feed everyone in it.
Only, that doesn’t actually happen.
How Bad Is the Global Food Crisis?
Did you know 1 in 10 people starve every day – and even children aren’t safe from this fate.
1 in 4 children suffer from malnutrition and 350 million face extreme hunger. In some countries, this causes one innocent child to die every three seconds.
In fact, nearly half of all deaths in children under-five are due to malnutrition. And what makes this even worse is that hunger is the leading cause of preventable deaths.
When there’s enough food in the world, there’s no excuse for this kind of suffering.
What’s Caused Such a Dire Crisis?
Explaining the root cause of the global food crisis is similar to explaining the cause for World War One.
Sure, we can point to droughts just as much as we can point to Archduke Franz Ferdinand – but the truth is there are many causes that differ from country to country, and they’re all complex in their own ways.
But the main causes usually come down to a combination of conflict (both internal and external), poverty, a struggling economy, and environmental issues ranging from climate change to continuous droughts.
How Does Food Affect Their Future?
Have you ever wondered what happens to a child born into a world of hunger?
Inevitably, they share the same fate and route as many others in that situation.
For children who are malnourished in their early years, it’s very likely that they’ll experience some level of stunting, impacting their physical or mental development. This means they won’t be able to enjoy their childhood and they’ll struggle to keep up in the classroom, eventually leading to dropping out of school.
Even children who aren’t stunted often struggle academically – continuous hunger leads to a lack of focus, leaving them behind in their studies and eventually causing them to drop out too.
Whether it’s due to stunting, a lack of focus due to chronic hunger, or dropping out just to earn enough to get by, many of these children never get the education they need…
Without it, their chances for a brighter future diminish as they continue along the cycle of poverty.
How Is Food the Answer?
As brutal as the poverty cycle is, there is a way out:
· School meals make the whole school experience better. Children and young people will have the energy to play with their friends and enjoy their childhood, while the right nutrition and a full stomach allows them to focus on their schoolwork.
· With a proper education, these children and young people finally unlock doors to a brighter future.
Make a Difference This Ramadan
With millions of children suffering from the devastating effects of hunger every day, it can seem like there’s nothing we can do.
But food is the answer and what better time to make an impact than Ramadan?
When you break your fast with iftar, take a moment to think about the millions of children around the world who aren’t able to do the same. With Allah (SWT) looking to reward us in this most sacred month, this is our chance to make a real difference.
Give the gift of food this Ramadan.