  
Why hunger is occurring: Social reasons
Often, the root of hunger in a particular country is not simply that they can't afford it. Many times, it is that there are underlying cultural beliefs which prevent progress. When members of a society are impeded from contributing all that they can with due respect, the potential improvement of that society is equally impeded. People are being restricted from helping their communities not because they are physically or economically restrained, but are instead limited by the often deeply rooted social structures and 'rules,' official or unofficial.
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A women completes her homework in-between classes
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I spoke with Lee Traband, on the staff of The Hunger Project (www.thp.org) about some of the unique principles that the organization works by. She said that THP believes in helping to spur a "society-wide transformation," where in most cases changes need to be made all over the social, political, and economic ladder.
"You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women."
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (prime minister of India 1947-1964)
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After returning from a recent visit to India, Lee described what conditions have been like. "In India and Bangladesh, women [have been] considered subhuman." Womens' sole job for centuries past has been to take care of their family. India's hereditary caste system, formed in about 1500 BC already subjugated many of these women, but they were still valued less than the men in their same caste.
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Lee added that when the group from The Hunger Project, including herself, went to speak to a small village, the men all sat in front and all of the women in the back. The president of The Hunger Project, a women herself, chastised the village, and forced the group to mix men and women. It was considered "radical" for men and women to sit together, and imagine how radical it would then be for men and women to work together!
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In other areas where THP had already been working for a while, Lee said that "Women [now] take charge and address issues" that are important to them. One of the key philosophies of The Hunger Project is "Indigenous Leadership," motivating the local residents to decide for themselves what needs to be improved in their communities, instead of some foreign charity abroad. Lee said that now, 1/3rd of the village council in made of women, and women "emerge from their huts and become great public leaders." THP helps these newfound leaders by connecting them with resources that can help them or providing what's missing. Lee said that the people themselves know what they need the most, whether it's healthcare, education, medical assistance, or anything else.
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"I was told Indian women don't think like that about equality. But I would like to argue that if they don't think like that they should be given a real opportunity to think like that."
Parmita Shastri, Outlook India, 1998
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The Hunger Project has focused on the subjugation of women in India to ending hunger in the region. Such dramatic changes to the social infrastructure of India are making progress and empowering half the population to take action. From The Hunger Project website:
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"In South Asia - like in many developing countries - society holds women responsible for all the key actions required to end hunger: family nutrition, health, education, food production and - increasingly - family income. Yet at the same time - through laws, custom and tradition - women are denied the resources, the information and freedom of action they need to carry out these responsibilities. This situation holds hunger in place."
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Women learning how to use their new food sorting machine in Senegal |
It's not that women are incapable of making progress, or that they do not want to. It's that they are restricted by their own culture. Changes to this social structure affect every level of humanity, and while often it is hard to change traditions that have been set for over 3000 years, social changes are among the most important changes that must be made to establish a stable, hunger-free world.
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