Hunger: An issue for the ages

Hunger: An issue for the ages

Jayesh Taunk, Grade 10, JIS

For most of us, food has always been taken for granted, like the sun rising in the east. But are we living in a dream world?

Passing through the streets of Jakarta, the swarms of poor and hungry people begging at traffic lights, on the railways and almost everywhere we go, are startlingly noticeable.

To the blessed, hunger is simply not an issue compared to the 852 million other people around the world -- more than the combined populations of the United States, Japan and Canada -- for whom it is a matter of life and death.

To us, hunger simply means having a churning stomach, but it is truly understood as not consuming enough energy and nutrients to meet the body's nutritional requirements. Consequently, a myriad of horrific and deadly conditions follow.

A pressing issue quietly claiming more lives each year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined, hunger is continuously overshadowed by issues such as global warming and the perennial heavyweight, terrorism.

Strangled by poverty and living on the razor thin edge between life and death on the streets of New Delhi, Beijing and Islamabad, thousands are forced to scavenge just to survive.

Their entire family is dreadfully underprivileged, the poor lack education and the nudge that can give them a start in life. Not having these, they are forced to beg, work in sweatshops and take upon such lowly jobs with shocking wages -- barely enough to exist on. In such conditions, how can one be expected to stave off death from starvation?

The immediate effect of hunger is the emergence of malnutrition. This is when nutrients are not derived from day-to- day consumption, resulting in the weakening of the body's physical and mental states. The most prevalent forms in the world today are iron and iodine deficiency.

In the human body, iron is present in all cells and acts as a carrier of oxygen from the lungs to the tissues in the form of hemoglobin. But a lack of iron impairs this vital function and leads to fatal conditions, such as anemia. Iodine deficiency, equally dangerous, is the leading cause of brain damage and retardation in children today, [and is] known to affect some 780 million people worldwide.

After a prolonged period of malnutrition, the hungry become more prone to disease and have a longer road to recovery, as their immune systems have been heavily weakened.

With no regular food intake, the body's fat reserves become the primary source of energy and when exhausted, proteins take up that role. Muscles disappear, flesh becomes loose, and skin turns thick, cold and flaky. It is now that the hungry become frighteningly thin and fragile.

Soon, vital organs such as the liver and intestines shrink and drastically drop in effectiveness and, ultimately, death follows. Such are horrors that no man should have to face. But this is the reality faced by 852 million people. It is this that causes 24,000 people -- 18,000 of them children -- to lose their lives each day.

Turning a blind eye to hunger will never be the solution to one of the world's most widespread issues. The alleviation of poverty and the access to education for all are starting points in eliminating hunger.

Several organizations, including UNICEF [United Nations Children's Fund] and the World Food Programme (WFP) have heralded the call for help, and are addressing the issue on a global scale. In several parts of Africa, the WFP has set up programs to help tackle the crippling hunger. Offering free education and a meal to those who attend, they give children a chance to think about things other than where their next meal will come from. Annually, they bring food to nearly 90 million people in 18 different countries.

Not only organizations, but also summits, such as the recent Asia-Africa Summit, are doing their part. At the Asia-Africa meet, many urgent topics were discussed, culminating in the signing of the NAASP Statement, which calls for closer cooperation to overcome challenges such as hunger and poverty that both continents face. Concrete action needs to follow, but the signing of the statement is an initial step.

Locally, many volunteer organizations like Emmanuel's Orphanage are also playing a major role by providing free education, housing and food to hundreds of orphaned children. Although not as extensive as the efforts of the WFP, individuals like Emmanuel are a shining example of what just one person can accomplish.

With the combined efforts of various bodies, regional meets, and local volunteers, in the future, simply having a square meal a day may become a reality, rather than a distant dream for the hungry. This is a challenge facing us all.