The very wise Archbishop Desmond Tutu has shown us that God has provided enough to feed the world’s need, but not enough for the world’s greed. And indeed as we look at the rising prices of food and the imbalance of its distribution we should question our common sense and integrity as a world community.
When humanitarian aid organizations buy food to distribute to the starving masses in New Orleans, Darfur, Myanmar, Ethiopia and other communities hit hard by natural and man-made disasters, a great deal of money is paid to ship the food where it is needed. According to BBC and NPR reports, now that food and oil prices have reached an all time high, aid relief organizations can ill afford to purchase and ship even half the amount of food this month as in previous months. Savedarfur.org has reported that the U.N. has cut aid to Darfur in half because of relentless attacks on convoys and lack of funds.
What has caused the sudden surge in prices: inflation, war, hurricanes, cyclone Nargis (according to mercycorp.org 22,000 dead, 41,000 missing, 1 million have been left homeless), global warming, continued political and corporate greed, drought, social conflict? Yes, all of these. It is necessary for us to look at real needs in comparison to perceived needs. Oxfam.org estimates 840 million people go to bed hungry every night. Freetheslaves.com estimates that 27 million people are currently enslaved, with 80% being women and children. We need to take a good look at the problems that greed causes: war, child soldiers, poverty, slavery, pollution, starvation, aggression… A holistic view is necessary for real food distribution with a minimum of waste (view previous blog ’where does all the food go?’), distribution of water purifiers and pumps, seeds, farming and fishing equipment, shoes, clothing, shelter (habitat.org), books, school equipment, funding for teachers, micro loans (accion.org, oxfam.org, villagebank.org), solar ovens,, garbage and waste management/reduction and recycling technology…
Fair trade and fair wage agreements need to be set in every community and in all job opportunities so that people are paid properly for their work and taken out of the poverty loop. This will reduce world hunger, the number of slaves, and the cause for social conflict. War takes our attention from dealing with real issues like aids, malaria, dengue fever, global warming, slavery, poverty, victims of natural disasters, humanitarian needs, pollution, environmental and animal conservation, education, clean water, oppression, genocide, and sub-standard housing, We need to focus on real needs and negotiate peacefully and fairly. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
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