With more than one billion people, mainly women and children, in the world suffering from hunger, it is certainly time that those of us who have 3 meals a day take action. It is easy to think that one person can do little to help the situation but if thousands of ‘one person’ take action, much can be achieved.
The Facts
- 1.02 billion people are hungry
- Over 25% of all the children under five years of age in the developing world, are moderately underweight, or worse.
- One in six people don’t have enough food to be healthy.
- Almost one in three people have disabilities or die early due to hunger-related issues.
- Every three minutes a child dies of hunger somewhere in the world.
- Hunger exists in wealthy western countries, not only third world countries.
Here are 5 ways I have found that can make a difference to world hunger.
- freerice.com is a website where you play simple online word games to earn rice that is distributed through the United Nations World Food Program. You simply answer multiple-choice questions about word meanings; for every answer you get correct, Freerice.com donates 10 grains of rice. This may seem insignificant, but in its first month of operation alone, Freerice donated more than one million grains of rice. It is simple, fast and free; you help end world hunger and improve your vocabulary at the same time. Add the site to your bookmarks and get into the habit of visiting every day. Encourage your friends and family to do the same.
- thehungersite.com is another website where you can easily help the world’s hungry. You simply go to the site, click on the button and 1.1 cups of food will be donated to feed the hungry at home and overseas. The donations are funded by the advertisers on the site with 100% of fees going to the non-profit organizations that alleviate world hunger. It is free, takes just a few seconds and makes a difference so get into the daily habit of visiting and clicking. You can also shop online from thehungersite.com, ordering fair trade goods that are well priced, with proceeds also going to feed the hungry.
- Help at home: it isn’t only Africa and other third world countries where hunger exists, there are thousands of hungry people in most so-called wealthy countries around the world. Wherever you live, there will be organizations, soup kitchens and shelters that provide food for those who can’t feed themselves. Volunteer your time or skills within your local area and help to stamp out hunger close to home.
- Help them to help themselves: the problem with many third world communities is that they have insufficient knowledge or skills to produce their own food. People have been displaced by war, drought or famine. They may not have the tools or the land to grow food. There are numerous humanitarian organizations that send volunteers into areas to provide clean water, solar power and education about nutrition, farming, food production and marketing. Instead of just providing handouts, they are helping the people help themselves and giving them the infrastructure and skills to be able to provide food and income for themselves, their families and their communities. You can help by donating money, tools or volunteering your time and expertise.
- Lobby your local politicians: the tough decisions on world hunger need to be made by world leaders. The power of the people cannot be underestimated so we all need to lobby our local, state and national politicians to take a stand on world hunger. By addressing hunger at a local level first, the world’s leaders start to change the state of world hunger for the better.
Much has been done to address hunger in the past ten years but there is still a lot to do. These 5 ways to end world hunger will cost you little but will have a huge effect on those who don’t enjoy three meals a day.
So, are you going to work with me to try and end world hunger? I hope so.
Miss T has written 582 articles on this blog. Hi, I am Miss T and I am the owner and head writer of PrairieEcoThrifter. Each and every day I am working to live a money savvy, healthy, and green life.While you're here, consider signing up for the RSS feed or email subscription . Both deliver the latest articles directly to you everyday. Have a Twitter , Facebook, Reddit, Stumble Upon, or Digg account? Then follow me for all of the latest posts or to send any comments or questions.
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I love using freerice.com, it’s pretty easy and it adds up quickly!
It seems so cool to me. Ingenious idea.
I always forget about the Free Rice site – thanks for the reminder. In regards to number 4, their are organizations like Heifer.org that allow you donate an animal. I got a share of a cow as a Christmas gift from another site!
I will have to check that site out. Thanks for letting me know.
Cool post. I’m gonna head over to Free Rice and see if it’s something my almost 7 year old can play. Thanks for sharing.
It’s pretty easy. I am sure your 7 year old will do just fine.
Great post! We could EASILY do more, but I like one thing we already do: when we have birthday parties (we’ve started having them all the time now because of this) we ask people to bring canned goods instead of gifts. We essentially have our own canned good drive four times per year.
That is a fantastic idea. I am definitely going to do that next time we through a party. We did something similar when we had a garage sale a couple years ago.
Very nice post. It would be nice if some of those in the 1% would open their coffers to the world. But until then, I guess the remaining 99% have to do their part. I haven’t been as generous as others, but should probably get started. I’ve been trying to take care of my own family first. I guess prioritizing between the two is a good topic for a follow up post.
You are right. It is a shame the rich don’t play a bigger role with things like this.
Don’t beat yourself up too much. There is still time to start. And just do the best you can. Every little bit adds up you know.
If you earn over $34,000 / year, you are part of the world’s 1 percent. Now that we’ve cleared that up, I think the best way to help feed the world is education and social development. Giving rice to many developing countries kills local agriculture. Also, much of the ‘aid’ ends up on a pseudo black market where it is sold and profits line the pockets of greedy individuals. Ethics is a big issue in these countries.
You are right. Shame on me for forgetting that. The corruption is a huge problem to actually making a difference. I guess that is where social policy and government need to play a larger role.
As far as being in the top 1% you are right with that one. I too have traveled a lot and seen how people live. People in North America who are working a have a roof over their head have no idea what it is like for the rest of the world.
I am glad Josh pointed out what I was going to point out. There are an astonishing number of NGOs from wealthy countries in poor countries and many of them do very little for the local economy and population. Unfortunately, there is a certain culture that many NGO workers reside in and that’s less than honorable. (I’ve also traveled to many of these countries and interned for some of the very prestigious NGOs and seen some very questionable practices).
Another consideration is that I would question whether many of these people cannot help themselves. Outside of the Western world, most cultures are a lot more interested in self-sufficiency, and at a minimum find a way to grow some of their own vegetables and herbs, make their own dairy products and more. Part of the problem is trying to force Western practices on existing cultures that do not operate in an industrial economy. You are right on about lacking tools or land or being displaced by wars, but is the solution to send over people or to find ways to discourage corruption and bureaucratic governments that funnel foreign aid into their own pockets? I don’t have any good answers, I just know that trying to fix big problems with small bandaids doesn’t work.
One thing we can do as Westerners is to decrease our own consumption and waste, especially of food. Considering that ONE THIRD of all food produced is lost or thrown out, we have many ways we can be self-sufficient at home and can reduce our own consumption, and your site is a great place for readers to get ideas on that!
Very well said. I am with you 100%. It is true that our forcing of western culture and industry on these countries is what has caused the problem in the first place. They were fine until we started commercializing products and industrializing family farms.
And yes we can do a lot close to home by watching what we consume and what we waste. I am appalled at what I see thrown in the garbage these days. I have only ever been to a city dump once and that was too much. I got so sick with emotion and disgust at the waste. Not only is it killing our planet but it is killing our people. People in counties could be using this stuff.
There are a couple documentaries on garbage and landfills that I have been meaning to watch, I think this inspired me to finally watch one this weekend. It is strange that we don’t SEE our waste. I’ve never even once been to a dump or landfill…unless you count Staten Island hahaha. But seriously, being aware of something changes behaviors dramatically. It’s been the same with my spending.
Yes, self awareness is key.
If you want a good documentary, try watching The Future of Food. It’s very good.
In a previous life, I worked for a company which participated in the logistics support for Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. We saw first hand the employees of several big-name international NGOs living high on the hog with fancy 4×4 vehicles and nice accommodations. Not to paint with a broad brush, but there you have it. Careful where you send your money.
It really bothers me how complex this is and how people have to be so careful about donating. It makes solving the problem so much harder.
For the record, I’ve traveled extensively and have data to back up the previous comment.
Wow, that’s very cool. I didn’t know that these sites exist. That’s very simple and a innovate way to help!
I thought so. It amazes me what some people come up with for ideas.
I love free rice. My family also often gifts each other Heifer animals for holidays and birthdays. They provide animals as a source of income, a source of food, and with the training they provide they demand that each person pass on the gift to someone in their community. I could do a lot more at the local level, though. Maybe donate to the food bank.
It is awesome that your family is taking such a role and setting an example. There should be more families like yours. Like with everything, we can all improve on what we are doing. Yes, maybe try a local food bank and other local places.
Great post. I agree with the concerns already voiced about the corruption and black market stuff. I am *finally* in the “above 34K” part after years of working hard, being frugal and saving a lot. We learned to garden and shop frugally and that made a HUGE difference. I love the part about helping at home. Spending a day here and there, with your family, in local soup kitchens and similar places does so much good: it helps you realize how much you truly have, teaches your children selflessness and you are helping out that good cause. Food Stamps in the US are supposed to be for people in tough situations, but too many abuse the system. I always wondered why the people on Food Stamps (and I’ve been there, so I can say this) aren’t taught how to garden, cook, sale shop and stuff like that. We used food stamps for two years when my husband got laid off and we ALWAYS had money left OVER at the end of the month because my mother taught me how to shop well and my father-in-law taught us how to garden. I was always HORRIFIED at the mom in the grocery line ahead of me that was buying steak and shrimp, potato chips and soda and candy with her food stamps and hardly any vegetables or fruits. Education is SO KEY. Thanks for a great post.
*I meant the moms buying soda instead of veggies that would then pay with food stamps. If you are using your OWN money at the grocery store, you can buy whatever you want!
Thanks so much for sharing your story. It is inspirational. I am so glad to hear you have finally reached that financial milestone and feeling a bit less pressure. It took a lot of hard work and I commend you for that.
I am with you regarding education. To me we need to more proactive in teaching people how to improve their situation not just give them band-aids for it. Education is the only way we can break the cycle and empower the next generation to have more opportunity and less burden. Learning to cook and garden and shop wise are fundamentals in my opinion. Everyone should have those skills. I find it so sad that there are people out there who don’t know how to do these things.
I love using freerice. I discovered it a couple years ago. It is a simple idea that makes a difference in the world. I hope people realize that hunger is not an abstract idea, something that is happening somewhere in the world. It does exist all around us. It does hit close to home.
Ya I don’t think many people consciously realize that hunger affects their local neighbourhoods. They seem to think of places overseas more often. Both are important and both need our help. Awareness of the issue is the first step which is what I was trying to do with this post.
Great tips Miss T – Free rice is a fun site and a great concept!
I think so too. It is so creative. I think it opens up the doors for all sorts of charitable ideas.
There are various NGOs supporting these countries. Even WHO works great in my country. I wasn’t aware of freerice, its great!
It seems some countries get more relief than others which is not what I like to see. There should be even distribution. Glad to hear you have at least seen some aid relief.
Thanks for this list. Sometimes I wish there was more I could do, but it is really just a thought of feeling like I can’t make THAT big of a difference. Sometimes I wish it were as simple as just saying, “everyone chip in and lets get rid of hunger.”
I wish that too Corey and in fact I think it can be this simple sometimes. People seem to make activities like giving way more complicated than they need to. We can all make a difference.
Thanks for providing this information. I’ll have a go on the websites but more importantly you did make me realise something very important: we don’t have to wait till one of us (or we individually) can give a lot. Many people offering a little can make immense difference.
Absolutely. This is one of the points I was trying to get across. You don’t have to have a lot to make positive change. Everyone’s small actions add up.
Thanks for sharing, great post Miss T.
The continued push to use of corn and other food sources as a fuel, instead of alternative renewable sources isn’t helping the cause either. When 40% of the US corn crop goes toward fuel, it increases food prices, making it harder for the lower income to stretch their dollar.
Very true. It also hurts international farmers because generating biofuel wrecks the land and kills it for growing any future crops. In some countries in the world, families have become homeless as a result. Have you seen the documentary Dirt? It’s fascinating.
I like freerice.com. Great site and thanks for sharing. I know we should give more.
Just do the best you can.
I’ve had some fun with freerice.com before, too. Great post!
Glad to hear.
I truly believe in teaching others how to generate their own food supply through farming. I realize a lot of their land does not produce the way that ours does, but we could teach these third world countries about green houses, how to farm, and how to make food for themselves. I mean I would not want to stand around waiting for someone to hand me some food would you? Not only that, but when people do things for themselves, they tend to appreciate it more. I’m not saying not to feed them, but lets go farther and teach them how to do it on their own.
Thanks for the information. Very helpful. I can’t wait to help.
I absolutely agree with you. Teaching people how to grow basic food for their families would have a huge impact. I wonder if we could get enough volunteers to do this?
Very important topic. Thanks for addressing it. My favorite hunger initiative ever was when Israel took its drip irrigation to Africa. It made a monumental difference.
I didn’t even hear of that. I love hearing it when other countries pitch in on a large scale.
Nice post. Always important to give back. I need to write a post about that, and my thoughts related to it.
Cheers,
Mark
That would be great. I would love to read it.
Growing up, we “shopped” at food banks a few times a year. My mom now volunteers 3 days a week there as a way of giving back.
That is awesome. Good for your mom. More of us could do the same thing.
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This is a fantastic list. I had totally forgotten about the free rice site.
It’s really cool. I love the concept. I think this concept could be used for numerous causes.
It should. 3 years ago my friends decided to donate soccer balls, goats etc in lieu of christmas presents.
This just reminded me of that.
That is awesome. Cheers to them.
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Another microlending site is KIVA. I have been making microloans using KIVA for years. What I like is it provides financing for an underserved part of our society.
Glad to know it works well. I have heard of KIVA but haven’t had a chance to use it yet. I need to put that on my to do list.
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