U.N. Global Hunger Summit Meeting in Rome

Nov. 18, 2009 - PRLog -- Fighting hunger, which affects a billion people around the world, was the agenda of a three-day summit that began Monday, November 16, in Rome.

Sponsored by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the meeting’s aim is to secure $44 billion a year in agricultural aid from world leaders. According to a Reuters report on the gathering, the current share of such assistance is $7.9 billion.

Anti-hunger advocates are disappointed by the published draft of the declaration that meeting leaders. The draft contains no specific aid target or action timeframe. Heads of state from Africa and Latin America make up the bulk of participants.

Hunger, Children, and SOS Children’s Villages

The jump in food prices last year fueled riots in 60 countries. Prices have eased somewhat but remain high in poor countries. Poverty in such countries brings hunger and malnutrition, scourges that can have their deepest impact on children, especially infants.

SOS Children’s Villages, an international charity that provides loving homes to orphaned and abandoned children, is on the ground in 132 countries to help.

Vulnerable children fortunate enough to be placed in an SOS Children’s Village receive food, education, health care, and the love of an SOS Mother. But in severely poor countries, high food costs directly affect SOS’s food budget.

Haiti’s Poorest Resort to Mud Cakes

SOS Children’s Villages runs two Villages in Haiti. Prices for some foods in that country surged by 76 percent between January and February 2008. Unable to afford basics like cereal and rice, some residents lived on mud cookies. Known locally as picas, they are made of dirt, salt, and vegetable shortening. They cause malnutrition, intestinal distress, and other illnesses triggered by toxins and parasites.

Children in the care of SOS Children's Villages do not eat mud cakes. But when food prices are high, SOS mothers buy less expensive food. They avoid large purchases and try to do without small necessities. High food prices also reduce the number of meals per day that SOS staff can afford to provide to local needy families who participate in SOS family strengthening programs.

Help a hungry child avoid eating mud cakes. For a small amount of money, you can give hope and a full stomach to a Haitian girl or boy. Sponsor an SOS Child today.

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SOS Children's Villages is the largest charity dedicated to orphaned and abandoned children with nearly 500 villages in 132 countries worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.sos-usa.org.