Women with the food and other goods received from BIRDS with the support of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Photo courtesy of BIRDS.
Global hunger was already on an upward trajectory before the Covid-19 pandemic. Most countries are experiencing some form of economic crisis. Poor communities have been hit the hardest.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “The number of people battling acute hunger and suffering from malnutrition is on the rise yet again. … And the upheaval that has been set in motion by the COVID-19 pandemic may push even more families and communities into deeper distress.”
Calling for action, Guterres went on to say, “We must redouble our efforts to fight hunger and malnutrition.”
This is an issue that should be on everyone’s radar, even as the United States grapples with problems of its own, said Valery Nodem, PHP’s international associate for hunger concerns.
“When we talk about loving our neighbors, it’s recognizing when our neighbors are in trouble as we are ourselves,” he said. “The world has gone through a lot of crises and we can only survive this crisis if we remember that we need to work together.”
Loving our neighbors and thinking about our neighbors around the world “would be the best start,” Nodem said.
The italic text is excerpted from Darla Carter’s recent article COVID-19 helping to fuel global hunger which features many Presbyterian Hunger Program global partners.
The work of the Presbyterian Hunger Program is possible thanks to your gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing.