Global Food Crisis

A few months ago, when Compassion sent a group of bloggers to Uganda, I decided to sponsor a child.  His name is Peter.  He is my oldest nephew’s age, and his birthday is one day before mine.  He is the most amazing kid.  He sent me a letter not to long ago, telling me how much he and his family love me.  It completely floored me.

I regularly visit their website, and recently saw an opportunity to blog for them.  Since it’s something that I do regularly, I thought that the least I can do is get the word out for them to the few people who read my blog.  This month the topic is the Global Food Crisis.  Below you can read about the food crisis.  It is something that affects every person on earth, whether or not you realize it.  Take the time to read, get yourself informed, and take action.

WHAT IS THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS?
The World Food Programme calls the global food crisis a phenomenon, a “silent tsunami,” that is affecting families in every nation on every continent. Food prices for popular menu items like rice, wheat and beans have doubled in the last year. Though increases in food prices have hit all budgets, it’s the poor who bear the brunt of price inflation. The higher prices are forcing people who survive on just $1 a day to spend upwards of 80 percent of their budgets just on food.  As a result, many people, including millions of children, are going hungry. The longer food prices rise, the more people will be plunged into hunger and poverty.

WHAT IS CAUSING THE CRISIS?
Since 2005, food prices have risen a whopping 80 percent because of…
• rising fuel costs
• rising food demand from populous nations like India and China
• natural disasters destroying crop yields all over the world, including the United States
• growth of biofuels

The global food crisis is forcing poor families to spend more of their household budgets on food, leaving little for anything else. In Bangladesh 95% of the 11,782 children Compassion serves there are affected. Many children are eating only at the church-based center (also known as a Compassion project). In Haiti, inflation rates have risen 40%, pushing up food prices. All 60,000 children served by Compassion in Haiti have been affected by the food crisis there.
Experts predict the combination of a weakening dollar, soaring oil prices, and reduction in food production will not dissipate. They are predicting this long-term crisis will tighten its grip on poor countries, causing more children and families to suffer.

ABOUT THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS FUND
Compassion International has launched the Global Food Crisis Fund to bring aid to those most adversely affected by rising food costs. More information is available and donations can be made at https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/global-food-crisis.htm

Donations to the fund will provide:
• food vouchers to children and families needing immediate relief.
• seeds and agricultural tools so that families can grow their own food as well as earn extra income.
• supplemental nutrition services offered at Compassion-assisted centers around the world.

For more informaiton, check out this page.