“Anticipate charity by preventing poverty; assist the reduced fellow man, either by a considerable gift or a sum of money or by teaching him a trade or by putting him in the way of business so that he may earn an honest livelihood and not be forced to the dreadful alternative of holding out his hand for charity. This is the highest step and summit of charity’s golden ladder.”  — MAIMONIDES

What a truly golden proposition Maimonides gives us. This should, indeed, be the goal for all of us who stand beside those in need.

Stop Hunger Now feeds hungry school childen around the world. We feed them every day. We feed them because they have to have food in their bellies to survive. But, we feed them at school where they get that primary education which is the critical first step out of poverty and constant hunger. We are on that highest step.

We see the day when hunger will be just a memory. We know it won’t come tomorrow, or next week, or even next year. But faithfulness to the call God has placed on our lives demands nothing less than our unending committment to making sure that day arrives.

Join with us to end hunger in our lifetime. Working together we can make it happen. Maimonides would say it’s the summit of charity’s golden ladder. I would simply say it’s the right thing to do.

“Anticipate charity by preventing poverty; assist the reduced fellow man,
either by a considerable gift or a sum of money or by teaching him a trade or by putting him in the way of business so that he may earn an honest
livelihood and not be forced to the dreadful alternative of holding out his
hand for charity. This is the highest step and summit of charity’s golden
ladder.”  — MAIMONIDES

What a truly wonderful proposition Maimonides gives us. Isn’t this the true goal we all should be aiming to reach?

We feed the hungry now because is is necessary. But, our goal is to see the day when hunger is eliminated. Stop Hunger Now continues to work toward reaching this highest step.

Feeding hungry school children not only fills their stomachs for a day, but provides them the critical primary education which is the first step toward a life free from hunger.

We see the day when hunger is just a memory. It won’t arrive tomorrow, or next week, or even next year. We know that. But, we also know that being faithful to God’s call in our lives means we will not, and can not stop working until we reach the summit.

We can end hunger in our lifetime. Join with us to make it happen. Maimonides would say it’s the highest step and summit of charity’s golden ladder. I would simply say it’s the right thing to do.

The world does not say: blessed are the poor.
    The world says: blessed are the rich. You are worth as much as
you have.
    But Christ says: wrong. Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven, because they do not put their trust in
what is so transitory.

                                              Archbisop Oscar Romero
                                               The Violence of Love

This get to the real heart of the matter, doesn’t it? “But Christ says: wrong.”

We have really got it all backwards. We look up to the rich, the wealthy and the powerful. And we look down on the poor, the hungry, the dispised and oppressed.

But Christ says:wrong. It’s the poor and hungry, the dispised and the oppressed that are the truly blessed. We see them as “the least of these among us. Christ sees them as the blessed ones.

This is true Christian wisdom. May we have eyes to see, and eyes to hear.

The world does not say: blessed are the poor.
    The world says blessed are the rich. You are worth as much as
you have.
    But Christ says: wrong. Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven, because they do not put their trust in
what is so transitory.                                                  

                                        Archbishop Oscar Romero
                                        The Violence of Love

This is getting to the true heart of the matter, isn’t it? “But Christ says: wrong.”

We look down on, or have pity for the poor. “But Christ says: wrong.” They are the blessed ones.

We have got it backwards. It is not the rich and the wealthy that are blessed. It is the poor, the hungry, the despised and oppressed that are the truly blessed.

This is a true lesson in Christian wisdom. May we have eyes to see and eyes to hear.

FAO launches hunger campaign in Ghana

Joseph Appiah-Dolphyne, AfricaNews editor in Accra, Ghana

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Africa is set to launch an international campaign against hunger in Ghana this week. The 1billionhungry campaign highlights the growing problem of global hunger which now affects more than one billion people worldwide.

1.  

   The aim of the campaign is to act as a reminder to world leaders to eliminate global hunger and deliver the L’Aquilla statement on food security by scaling up investments in agriculture and addressing the root causes of hunger and poverty. Over a quarter of a billion people in Africa currently suffer from malnutrition and 30% of Africans face hunger.

   The worst hit areas are in Central and Eastern Africa with food crisis linked to conflicts occurring in Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Ethiopia. In addition, a worsening food crisis in Niger has increased the number of people affected by malnutrition in the Sahel.

   Boosting Africa’s production of food has been a major cause of concern for government and regional institutions in the efforts to achieve food security. However issues such as rural poverty, investments to the agriculture sector and marketing constraints have also been highlighted as posing serious challenge to hunger reduction.

   FAO operates throughout the region supporting African government in alleviating hunger and building capacity to deliver agriculture development. Regional programmes to support hunger reduction include the recently implemented EU Food Facility operational in 16 countries and the Special Programme for Food Security covering 35 countries across Africa.

   Jacque Diouf Director General FAO has called for urgent action to address chronic hunger in Africa. Diouf at the recent FAO Regional Conference for Africa held in Luanda, Angola noted that the global downturn had heralded a new approach towards international action on hunger arguing the recession had, “placed agriculture and food security at the heart of national and regional development policies and programmes, [allowing] us to look to the next decade with greater optimism.”

   The FAO 1billionhungry campaign has already been supported by more than 400,000 people who have signed a petition against hunger to be presented to the 140th session of the FAO Council taking place in Rome between 29 Nov – 3 Dec 2010.

First bread, and then religion. We stuff them too much with religion, when the poor fellows have been starving. No dogma will satisfy the cravings of hunger.       
                                                        Vivekananda (1863–1902)

Truth is where you find it. And here is a sermon that needs to be heard by the so many well meaning, but over-zealous Christians I continually meet in my work with the poor around the world.

Good News to the hungry is bread, not a tract on the four steps to salvation. I agree whole-heartedly with the statement of Gandhi when he was quoted as saying “There are those so hungry that Christ would not dare to come to them except in the form of bread.” 

Communicating the love and grace of God is about how we live among those most in need. It’s not about how many we can coerce into agreeing to something they don’t fully comprehend, or how many witnessing notches we can carve into our Christian Worker’s New Testaments.

And even though that is plainly stated by Jesus when he talks about the judgement in Matthew 25, far too many still do not understand the righteousness of a good loaf of bread. Let me say it once more. Good news for the hungry is found at the bakery.

In response to the growing crisis in Niger, the UN is acting to mitigate this tragedy. There are over seven million in Niger at extreme risk of starvation, yet it doesn’t make primetime news…

UN emergency fund allocates more resources to hunger-stricken population

Published on Aug 16, 2010 – 8:51:51 AM

By: UN News

Aug. 16, 2010 – In an effort to alleviate alarming food shortages that have caused high malnutrition rates among children in Niger, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated an additional $15 million to enable the UN food agency to provide relief to an estimated 1.7 million people.

The CERF allocation made available to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) last week will be used to improve nutrition and provide livelihood support to people most affected by the crisis.

Poor harvests that followed inadequate rainfall in Niger over the past year have spawned a major food crisis in the West African country. An assessment carried out in April indicated that over 7 million people, or about 46 per cent of Niger’s population, are suffering from moderate or severe food insecurity.

The survey revealed a significant increase in the number of people experiencing severe food shortages, with the figure rising from 2.6 million in December last year to 3.3 million people in April. It also showed high levels of vulnerability in urban areas, particularly among new migrants, as well as a higher rate of severe food insecurity among women.

The results of a nutrition survey in June showed that global acute malnutrition prevalence exceeded the 15 per cent emergency threshold, with 16.7 per cent of young children affected. Severe acute malnutrition rose from 2.1 per cent last year to 3.2 per cent this year.

The latest allocation brings the total amount of money disbursed by the fund, which is managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), to Niger this year to $35 million.

Even as the world is starting to grapple with the enormity of the disaster in Pakistan, we have to remember that hunger never takes a holiday. The small West African of Niger is now in the news.

According to the World Food Programme, Niger is now in the midst of the worse hunger crisis in its history. The report reprinted below is taken from Africa News.com.

Niger is now facing the worst hunger crisis in its history, the UN’s World Food Programme has said, with almost half the population – or 7.3 million people – in desperate need of food.

 

A WFP spokesman said villagers in Niger described the situation as worse than 2005, when thousands died of hunger.

After a prolonged drought, heavy rains have now hit parts of the country, killing at least six people.

The WFP says 17% of children, or one in five, are acutely malnourished.

The figure – based on national surveys in May and June – is well above the WFP’s normal 15% threshold for declaring an emergency.

It is appealing for $213m (£136m) in aid, but is still 40% short of its target, a spokesman said.