Hunger

I chose the topic of hunger, probably because I cringe to think how many children (and adults) go to bed hungry.  I understand totally that the number far surpasses my imagination.  Several years ago, hunger took a twist by impacting one of the children in our preschool.  Some families made sacrifices for their children to attend our school.  Michael was from one such family.  He was raised by a single mom, who questioned me about a scholarship for Michael.  For some unknown reason, I made a special agreement with Michael’s mom.  She did some paper work for us, and in return, his monthly tuition was lessoned. 

Michael wore the same clothes several days in a row; they were always clean.  His shoes seemed a bit tight, but he did not seem to mind.  For lunch, he always brought a bagel and cream cheese.  We gave Michael water to drink; we offered apple juice.  He never had dessert.  One day, I approached mom about the lunch thing, asking why she sent the same thing every day.  Michael’s mom said that’s what Michael wanted; I accepted this. 

One day, however, Michael told me that he did not want bagels anymore.  Again, I questioned Michael’s mom, but this time, she asked if we could talk about this in my office (behind closed doors).  As you may have guessed by now, Michael’s mom could not afford other food.  A local restaurant gave her day-old bagels and cream cheese for free.  She became hysterical.  When I heard that Michael went to bed hungry sometime, I became hysterical.

To make a long story short, the reality of the world was a part of my class.  Hunger is everywhere.  We worked with some amazing partnerships to help Michael’s mom get food stamps, and with some help, she was able to secure a part time secretarial job.  She was finished early enough to pick Michael up from school.   This is several years ago, and I heard, through the grapevine, that Michael’s mom went back to school and is a nurse. WOW!

I chose to look into the effects of hunger in Brazil.  Somewhere, I read about a program that assured food to everyone.  In 1993, food was declared a right of citizenship.  In 2003, the administration of Silva implemented the Zero Hunger program.  Silva wanted this right to be a part of the constitution.  It was “added to the list of social rights guaranteed under Article 6, together with education, healthy, work, and social security; this made it irreversible” (Osava, 2009). 

Local farmers are offered choice public spaces to sell to the consumer; local produce was also incorporated into school meals.  The city of Belo Horizonte (Brazil’s fourth largest city) put Direct from the Country stands throughout busy areas.  “Money spent on processed, corporate food, now buys whole food mostly from local growers” (Lappe, 2009).  This enabled many families the chance to expand their incomes or return to agricultural production.  The program works with an electronic card.  Beneficiaries prove that the money they are receiving is being spent on basic food items or cooking fuel.  In addition, families need to prove that their children are attending school.  Adults enroll in training programs to improve their employability and thus, reduce their future dependence. 

Three rather large “People’s Restaurants,” plus a few smaller venues has sprouted up in Belo.  Together, they serve about 12,000 or more people using primarily locally grown food.  Several novel solutions have arisen such as “egg shells, manioc leaves, and other material normally thrown away were ground and minced into flour for school kid’s daily bread” (Lappe, 2009).  For all of these efforts, the cost is a mere 10 million dollars annually, which is about a penny a day per Belo resident and less than 2% of the city’s budget.

This experience demonstrates that the right to food does not necessarily mean free handouts.  It means “redefining the “free” in “free market” as the freedom of all to participate.”  Lappe (2009) states, “it’s easy to end hunger if we are willing to see with new eyes – if we act no longer as mere voters or protestors, for or against government, but as problem-solving partners with government accountable to us.”  This is interesting indeed and has given me a lot to think about… I wonder if our government has given this idea any thought… hmmm

Lappe, F.M. (2009). The city that ended hunger. Yes Magazine.  Retrieved from http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/food-for-everyone/the-city-that-ended-hunger

Osava, Mario. (2009, October 16). Hunger beats a steady retreat.  IPS Inter Press Service.  Retrieved from http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44306