World Food Day is an effort to focus attention on the fact that some 21,000 people die every day from hunger or malnutrition around the world & 821 million people do not have enough food they need to live an active, healthy life.
Hunger is a perilous cycle that passes from one generation to the next: Families who struggle with chronic hunger and malnutrition consistently go without the nutrients their minds and bodies need, which then prevents them from being able to work, go to school, or improve their lives.
People suffering from chronic hunger are plagued with recurring illnesses, developmental disabilities and low productivity. They are often forced to use all their limited physical and financial resources just to put food on the table.
People do not go hungry because the world does not produce enough food for everyone. According to the world Hunger Education Service, over the past three decades, significant growth in food production, along with improved access to food, helped reduce the percentage of chronically undernourished people in developing countries from 34 percent to 15 percent. The principal problem is that many people in the world still do not have resources to purchase or grow enough food.
Indeed, hunger is a consequence of poverty, and also one of its causes. Hunger exists because many countries lack social safety nets; because in many countries women, although they do most of the farming, do not have as much access as men to training, credit or land.
In Lebanon, sufficient and good food is available, but it is not always accessible for everyone. Therefore, people in Lebanon who struggle to make ends meet tend to consume food products that have low nutritional value.
Did you know… …that 16.5% of children under 5 years old in LEBANON are stunted, meaning they are not developing properly due to malnutrition? …that about 11% of Lebanese cannot meet their basic food needs? (Source: UNDP)
BASSMA believes that breaking the cycle of poverty and building strong communities begins when every person has enough nutritious food to live a healthy and productive life.
#worldfoodday #oct16 #foodforall #fighthungerwithBassma
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