World Hunger

The Photographers' Two Cents

My Two Cents
After going without food for a long time your kidneys will eventually stop working. The function of a kidney is to filter out all of the body’s toxic chemicals. Without it, the body poisons itself. Eventually the body becomes swollen with toxic chemicals, especially in the abdominal region. Even if you start eating again, the chances of a kidney starting up again are slim. Most of the time a transplant is needed. Though America has more than enough food to supplement the need in Africa, Americans do not have enough kidneys to give to the hungry in Africa.
Paul’s Two Cents
II Corinthians chapters 8 and 9
"And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability...for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich...if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have...whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously...God loves a cheerful giver...this service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God..."
Humanitarians’ Two Cents
http://www.care.org (*91%) CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. We place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives.
http://www.worldvision.org (*87%) World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty.
http://ncm.org (Nazarene Compassionate Ministries) (*80% or greater) Following the example of Jesus, we seek to educate, clothe, shelter, feed, heal, and ultimately empower those who suffer under oppression, injustice, violence, poverty, hunger, and disease. Because NCM exists in and through the Church, we are able to address spiritual concerns alongside physical needs. Our ministries are holistic – addressing the whole person – and sustainable – addressing immediate needs while securing a hopeful future for individuals and their communities.
*The percentage is the amount of donations that go to people in need
· More than 840 million people in the world are malnourished — 799 million of them live in the developing world.
· More than 153 million of the world's malnourished people are children under the age of 5.
· Six million children under the age of 5 die every year as a result of hunger.
· Malnutrition can severely affect a child's intellectual development. Malnourished children often have stunted growth and score significantly lower on math and language achievement tests than do well-nourished children.
· Lack of dietary diversity and essential minerals and vitamins also contributes to increased child and adult mortality. Vitamin A deficiency impairs the immune system, increasing the annual death toll from measles and other diseases by an estimated 1.3 million-2.5 million children.
· While every country in the world has the potential of growing enough food to feed itself, 54 nations currently do not produce enough food to feed their populations, nor can they afford to import the necessary commodities to make up the gap. Most of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the widespread hunger in a world of plenty results from grinding, deeply rooted poverty. In any given year, however, between 5 and 10 percent of the total can be traced to specific events: droughts or floods, armed conflict, political, social and economic disruptions.