World Hunger

World Hunger

First, in order to solve a problem such as world hunger we need to understand what it really means. To many peoples ignorance hunger isn't the sound that our stomach makes after not eating for a few hours. Hunger is chronic disease that occurs "when people don't get enough food in order to provide the nutrients (carbohydrates fats proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water) for active and healthy lives". The term, chronic, means that it is natural for you to be hungry.

You do not have to travel far to find someone homeless looking for food. In our own neighborhoods we can find people who are truly starving for some of the basics such as bread and water, though all over the world people have fallen victim to this disease despite the resources that are readily available. Many people assume that those who are hungry and living below the poverty line are choosing to be in the unfortunate situation. Most of this is due to the lack of awareness of the facts and severity of the problem, as well as stereotyping and misinformation.

No matter the causes of the world wide epidemic there are solutions that society as a whole can take to end hunger. One seemingly obvious solution is education. Many people are misinformed about hunger and how widespread it really is. In 2004, almost 1 billion people lived below the international poverty line, earning less than $1 per day. Among this group of poor people, many have problems obtaining adequate, nutritious food for themselves and their families. As a result, 820 million people in the developing world are undernourished. They consume less than the minimum amount of calories essential for sound health and growth. Knowing these few facts is just the beginning to understanding how serious and how real this problem is.

Another solution to ending world hunger can be making a conscious effort to elect officials who will spend less on military efforts and more on making food available to those who need it. It's an unfortunate reality that military efforts are necessary in order to protect a countries people. However, a small portion of the billions used in making weapons, etc... could make a difference in the number of people who die every year from starvation.

Lastly, one very basic thing everyone can do to lessen hunger throughout the world is to not waste food