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.