Steak on the grill, rice in a bowl, tortillas drying in the sun, and fish in the net. Food has kept man alive for thousands of years. Everyone needs food to live. It is our main energy source. It fuels our bodies.  But unfortunately, there are many places around the world that do not have enough food and people go hungry.  Hunger is an uneasy or painful feeling caused by lack of food.  What do you think it would be like to feel hungry all the time?

Everyone has food, right? No, not everyone has enough food to live. In some countries the economies are not efficient enough to provide enough food for everyone. Another reason is that some families do not have enough money to buy the food that is available. There are lots of kids and adults around the world that do not have enough food to live, especially in Africa and Asia. In some of the hungriest countries, the percentage of people who are severely or moderately underweight is 60%. Worldwide, the percentage is 39%.  View The Hunger Map to find the countries with the most hunger.  

Something that surprises many people is that wealthy countries have hungry people too.  For example, in the United States, in 2000 10.5 percent of all households (that's about 20 million adults and 13 million children) were "food insecure."  That means that there wasn't enough food in those houses for the people to eat because they didn't have enough money or because they couldn't grow their own food.  If a house is food insecure, they run out of food, skip meals, or eat poor diets.  What each country should have is for all families to have "food security."  That means that everyone has access to food at all times so that they can live a healthy life.  Did you know that there are people who are hungry in all countries?

When you do not have enough food to eat your body suffers. When this happens, it is hard for your body to work right. It suffers from a lack of energy and a lack of nutrients. You may even suffer from malnutrition.  Some of the nutrients that your body needs are vitamin A, iron, and iodine. Without vitamin A you could go blind, or you could die from diseases such as measles, malaria, and diarrhea. In 1995, an estimated 79 million preschool children had vitamin A deficiency.  Iron is another important nutrient.  When you don't get enough of iron, you become anemic (not enough hemoglobin in your blood) which means you will be weak and tire easily. No having enough iron also causes premature birth, low birth weight, and infections. The other nutrient, iodine, is important for mental growth.

Many people may have enough food so they aren't hungry, but they have poor diets. You have a poor diet when you do not have enough energy and nutrients. Bad diets often lead to an unhealthy life. That is why it is important to have a healthy diet. It is sad that in some places people have more food than they could even eat while in other countries people go hungry every day. 

Now you know that hunger exists all over the world.  Many people are working together in all parts of the world to identify the causes of hunger and to find answers to the hunger problem.  All people, including children, can help stop hunger by learning as much as they can about it and by trying to prevent it.  There are many organizations around the world that provide food to needy families.  Visit our Helping Hands page to learn about these great organizations.  You may also want to collect food or raise money for the local food banks in your city.  

Citations

Web Sites

Food First.  "12 Myths About Hunger."  <http://www.foodfirst.org/> (January, 2004).

Food Research and Action Center. "Hunger in the U.S." <http://www.frac.org/> (December, 2003).

UNICEF. "The Rights Site." <http://www.therightssite.org.uk> (December, 2003).

World Hunger Education Service Associates. " Hunger Notes Online." 2004. <http://www.worldhunger.org/> (February, 2004).

Images

Images of cherry, vitamins, healthy food, carrots, and grill from "Microsoft Office Online" <http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx?cag=1>
(December 2003).

Glossary

Economy: A system that controls money management.  Return

Malnutrition:  When someone lacks some or all of the nutritional elements necessary for health.  Return

Vitamins: A nutrient that helps keeps our bodies healthy.  Return

Vitamin A: A vitamin that helps to prevent blindness.  Return

Iodine: A vitamin that helps mental growth.  Return

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