Archives For hunger

What does hunger feel like?

June 6, 2012 — Leave a comment

Most of us don’t know what hunger feels like. Not real hunger, anyway. Not the kind of hunger that causes permanent damage or even jeopardizes lives. In Guatemala, where I was born, hunger is a pervasive and tragic reality; the country has the fourth highest chronic childhood malnutrition rate in the world. The government has tried to curb the problem, but with mixed results.

If you read my recent reflections on God and Production in a Guatemalan Town you might have a feel for what village life is like for families just trying to get by. For a more personal look, here’s a recent clip featuring a 26-year-old mother who is reluctant to use birth control, but struggles to feed her six children.

Thanks to Mike at the Central America Politics blog for sharing this video.

Please consider supporting organizations working to serve families like these in Guatemala, and especially ones that recognize the multifaceted roots of poverty and respond in turn with holistic development programs. Lemonade International and Common Hope are a couple of smaller organizations worth getting to know, and Food for the Hungry and World Vision are larger organizations doing great work.

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Bolsa Solidaria: solidarity or injustice?

October 13, 2011 — Leave a comment

My friend Bill, who leads Lemonade International, has written a really thoughtful essay on a government-run food distribution program in Guatemala called Bolsa Solidaria, or Bag of Solidarity. Food insecurity and malnutrition are huge problems in the country, and this program is intended to address those needs. But as you’ll see, there’s another side to it:

The motivation for and means of distributing food to the poor and most vulnerable in Guatemala raises serious concerns. Using food distribution to coerce the poor for personal and political gain is an injustice of the highest order. Food, water, shelter and clothing are basic human necessities and to use promises of any of these as manipulation by people in positions of power should not be tolerated by a just society, and should not be dismissed by followers of Jesus under the banner of a greater good.

I encourage you to read the whole piece, and definitely learn more about the work Lemonade International is doing in the La Limonada slum community in Guatemala City. And if you’re so inclined, please consider a donation to the Lemonade Stand that Katie and I set up for our wedding. We’re 83% of the way to our goal of $1,000 with 24 days to go!

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Weekend Video: The Strike vs. Hunger

July 16, 2011 — Leave a comment

I came across this video this week from my World Vision colleagues in Australia. It’s a promo for their 40 Hour Famine, and I’m guessing it’s unlike any other charity video you’ve ever seen. It’s gutsy, fun, über-creative, and surprisingly inspiring. Hats off to the Aussies. I hope you enjoy it.

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Guatemala and the global food crisis

June 13, 2011 — 2 Comments

Photo courtesy of Agros International (www.agros.org)

There’s been a lot of recent news about rising food prices and many outlets are providing commentary and speculation on what it all means for the world’s poor. The Guardian has some notable coverage, including an interactive map with reporting from nine places in the world where food costs are having an impact. One of those places is my country of birth:

Developing countries such as Guatemala are on the frontline. Half of all the nation’s children under five are malnourished – one the highest rates of malnutrition in the world. Yet the country has food in abundance. It is the fifth largest exporter of sugar, coffee and bananas. Its rural areas are witnessing a palm oil rush as international traders seek to cash in on demand for biofuels created by US and EU mandates and subsidies. But despite being a leading agro-exporter, half of Guatemala’s 14 million people live in extreme poverty, on less than $2 a day. And the indicators are getting worse. The money to be made from the food chain here, as in most poor countries, has been captured by elites and transnational corporations, leaving half the population excluded.

The piece cites research from Oxfam, which recently launched its GROW campaign for food justice. It’s an interesting initiative addressing a quite significant issue, so please check it out. Here’s the launch video:

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Fighting hunger in the coffeelands

May 17, 2011 — Leave a comment

A lot of coffee is grown in Mexico and Central America, and coffee farmers and their families also tend to experience a lot of hunger. There’s an excellent new short film about it, called After the Harvest: Fighting Hunger in the Coffeelands. From the film’s blog:

In a recent survey of small-scale coffee farmers in Mexico, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, over 67% indicated they were unable to maintain their normal diet for 3-8 months of the year. These are “Los Meses Flacos,” or the thin months, when families make ends meet by eating less, eating less expensive foods, or borrowing against their future earnings from coffee. While incredibly complex, recent work suggests it is not unsolvable.

“After the Harvest: Fighting Hunger in the Coffeelands” is a film that brings the day-to-day challenges of the thin months to life in the voices of coffee farmers themselves, and shares the successes of creative projects that have been established to eliminate this annual period of food insecurity.

Fortunately, the 20-minute film is available for free online, and is embedded here. It’s definitely worth checking out.

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