Today morning I woke up to a news which hold great importance in the world today, after a long-haul time to celebrate the hero’s and organizations world over who are feeding hungry souls.
The World Food Programme Wins Nobles Peace Prize for 2020, a year which will be remembered in the world history as a year of testing times, year of survival.
While reading this news it dawned upon me that apart for celebrating the multitude of organizations attached to the program, volunteers who have been feeding the world, it is also time to sit back for us, as citizens of the 21st century global world and understand that how much as a human race we have failed to feed the hungry.
Last few years the conflicts in the world have increased tremendously giving rise to more hungry people, climate change, constant food security issue, pilling up of resources by many and last nail in the coffin Covid pandemic.
If I have to look at the numbers, India alone is home to 1/3rd of the World’s poor population and most of them go hungry to bed night after night, without knowing if they are going to get food tomorrow.
Infact yesterday’s newspaper reflected that during lockdown 46 percent Indian families had to borrow money for their food and household expenses.
There are few very integral aspects of food issues in the world.
Not that the world doesn’t have the money to resolve the food issues, but there are few matters which are ever increasing and making things worse.
If we look at constant conflict zones across the world, its increasing, more and more people are getting entangled in it without any reason whatsoever, they don’t have a choice.
If I just look at this decade, starting 2011, word witnessed spring revolution, it was remarkable in every sense for overthrowing gluttony driven, self-obsessed rulers but in few places, the conflict went out of hand, Syria became the stage of pro-Islamic forces which led to the biggest and one of the bloodiest conflicts of 21st century leading to immense migration, poverty, hunger and loss of lives.
Syria is one of the big example but when we look across the world, with breaking of democracy In many regions with strong hold of right wing politics, pro Nationalism, jingoism and lack of economic growth, conflicts have erupted resulting in widespread hunger and pushing many towards economic borderline and starvation.
In 2st century we have more then 690 Million people who go to bed hungry every night not knowing their fate of food for tomorrow and with covid it has just escalated, with economic slump downs in most parts of the word due to lockdown there is an addition pf 270 million people heading towards extreme starvation as per WFP.
Infact I don’t have to look for, in my country India, during lockdown 46 % of families had to borrow money to run their household.
India, home to 1 billion people had one of the most severe lockdown, putting the lid on already slow and slump down economy resulting in approx. 19 million job loses in formal and informal sector.
This has led to more suffering for the marginalized and the list is now adding up, pushing more towards starvation.
We are living in tough times; I am happy that World’s largest humanitarian programme to resolve hunger has been recognized but is this enough…. there is never going to be enough.
Doing our bit is what will add to the drying river.
World is reeling through one of the worst times in history of mankind but, What we need here is to help each other, help the ones who really need it.
In the Nobel Peace Prize Medal there is a line “For the peace and brotherhood of men”,
I think the only route to peace in the world is FOOD.
And I only hope that the hoarders, the pilers, the policy makers and every human soul in general should care for the “Right to Eat”, the need, the desire to feed the hungry.
And if we look into economic data the world has enough to feed its hungry ….
We are a 400 trillion dollar economy and world only needs 500 billion to feed its hungry souls…
What are we missing then….COMPASSION …
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