Virtual OxFam

What do we know about hunger?

What?

870 Million people in the world suffer from chronic hunger

A child dies from malnutrition every nine seconds

But hunger isn't about there not being enough food. In fact, there is enough food produced globally to feed every man, woman, and child.

The roots of hunger lie in power and inequities.

Hunger affects everyone, in countries rich and poor, in urban and rural areas. But some of us face greater challenges than others.

In this exercise...

Why?

we cannot recreate the many complex ways poverty manifests itself. We will not have time to go into all the problems associated with lack of access to health care, education, and employment opportunities, and the realities of the day-to-day struggle

for survival.

The one thing I would like you to remember is this: Everyone on earth has the same basic needs; it is only our circumstances— where we live and the culture into which we are born—that differ. Some of us are born into relative prosperity and security, while millions—through no choice of our own—are born

into poverty.

High Income

Let's meet a few high income families:

I am Faiumu.

I live in Samoa with my four sons and husband. We own an organic farm, on which we produce coconut oil for export. We recently rebuilt our home, and two of my sons who were living overseas have returned home to help with the family business. Our business earns about $256 each week, and this income is vital to my family’s livelihood

and security.

High

My name is Nicole.

I’m a college student, and I live in Arizona. I use public loans to cover the cost of my education and basic living expenses. I work part-time as a waitress to cover other bills. I'm studying to be a teacher.

My name is Svetlana.

I am from Russia, and I am a mother and a wife. I own and operate a small business, where I sell colored teakettles and other household goods. I have access to clean water, food, and shelter. Unlike many people in Russia, I also have access to basic social services, such as health care.

Middle Income

Let's meet a few middle income families:

I am Vo.

I live with my wife and two daughters in Laos. I grow and sell chili seeds to support my family. Recent harvests have been plentiful, so we were able to buy a goat. We sold two of the goat’s babies, which gave us enough money to send my girls to school and have enough rice to eat.

Middle

My name is Ruqia.

I live in Zimbabwe, and although I am not yet 20, I am already a mother of two boys. Being forced into early marriage is very common where I am from. It is very hard to care for my children when my husband is off trying to make money. Although we struggle sometimes, we live comfortably and have a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs.

My name is Sofik.

I am a woman living in the mountains of Vyats Dzor, Armenia, where I work as a beekeeper. My business used to be small but has expanded in recent years. I consider myself lucky because many farmers in Armenia struggle to make a living.

Low Income

Let's meet a few low income families:

My name is Sin.

I am a mother of three living in Pom Tom village in the Kratie province of Cambodia. We live without access to water taps or toilets, which makes the spread of disease very common. My 8-month-old was just rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening case of diarrhea.

We are hoping he will survive.

Low

I am Alvaro.

I live with my wife, Pascoela, in East Timor, an island nation in Southeast Asia. We make a living by growing and selling our crops, specifically paddy rice, about $156 per year. In recent years it has been more difficult to make a living this way because rainfall patterns

are unpredictable and the cost of fertilizers continues to rise.

My name is Luisa.

I live in Cashiriari, Peru. I am a member of the Machiguenga people, who have hunted and fished around the Urubamba River for thou- sands of years. The land around my community is being exploited by an oil company, which has cut down trees and polluted the water. I live off of the river and the forest, and I cannot survive if they

are destroyed.

So what happens?

Life happens:

At any turn, wages can be lost, savings used quickly, and suddenly you are in a situation unlike before.

While there is much more security, safety, and access for those in the high income group, there are still challenges.

While almost all of the U.S population would find itself in this group, up to 78 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.

On a global scale, those in the middle incomes, like Sofik, could be a loss of business revenue away from being tossed into the low income bracket.

Situations for the low income families become even more dire. For Alvaro, or many others, rising cost in farming tools, floods, droughts, or land conflicts can strip their families of any income at all.

What's different?

• 780 million people, 10 percent of the world's population, live in extreme poverty on less than $1.90 per day
• By Global standards, all Americans live in the highest income group
• By U.S standards, 14 percent of Americans live in poverty based on the Federal Poverty Guidelines

Have you ever been out of the country or seen a global documentary? What has your experience been seeing U.S and global poverty first-hand or in the media?

Up Close: Health, Sanitation, Life Expectancy

• Approximately 1 in 11 children die before age 5
• 815 million people, or 10.7 percent, were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2016
• 2.0 billion people still do not have basic sanitation facilities such as toilets or latrines
• Of these, 673 million still defecate in the open, for example in street gutters, behind bushes or into open bodies of water
• The average life expectancy for Sub-Saharan Africa is 59, with some countries as low as 50 compared to an average of 76 in America and 71 in European countries

How are health and sanitation interconnected? How do they impact life expectancy?

Up Close: Education

• Globally in 2016, over 63 million children ages 6-11 years old were not attending school
• 14 percent of all individuals are illiterate
• Two-thirds of all individuals who are illiterate are women- totaling 493 million women/girls
• A child whose mother can read is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5
• For every 100 boys of primary school age out of school, there are 123 girls denied the right to education

Education is the single greatest tool to moving individuals out of poverty, but what barriers to education can you think of?

Barriers:

• Lack of funding for education- most countries do not have nationalized, public education
• No teachers/untrained teachers
• No classrooms or safe places for schoolhouses
• Lack of learning materials- books, writing tools
• Excluding children with disabilities
• Being the “wrong” gender
• Living in a country in conflict or at risk of conflict
• Distance from school
• Hunger and poor nutrition
• Expense of education

Hunger and Malnutrition

• 815 million people, or 10.7 percent, go to bed hungry each night
• While almost all the hungry people live in lower-middle-income countries, there are still 11 million people undernourished in developed countries
• There is more than enough food produced to feed every individual but issues like affordability, political instability and conflict, climate change, and policy lead to difficulties accessing food
• Approximately 3.1 million children die from under-nutrition each year

How to Help:

Global organizations like OxFam, Doctors without Borders, and UNICEF work to solve issues of hunger, poverty, and health issues. Raising awareness and serving these organizations directly serve their mission.

Taking time to focus globally and stay informed of issues like flooding, famine, droughts, civil wars, and conflicts can also increase awareness on the lasting impact of these issues.

What else can you do?

8. Find three organizations work locally in your community that focus on issues of poverty or hunger. What are the names and mission statements for each of these organizations?

Sources:

• Action Against Hunger
• UNICEF
• World Bank

This activity was adapted from the OxFam Hunger Banquet script by the Office of Service-Learning

Contact: Service.Learning@cpcc.edu