Did you know there’s a Global Food Crisis?
The war in Ukraine, inflation, fertilizer shortages, COVID-19, and extreme weather are colliding to create a global food crisis unlike any food crisis in the past. It is impacting us all but none more so than critically hungry children.
Acute hunger has increased globally by 25% since Russia invaded the Ukraine. As a result, there are now 50 million people in 45 countries on the brink of starvation. Twenty Two percent of children under 5 experienced stunted development due to malnutrition in 2021.*
Malnutrition’s impact on children in poverty is real and can include:
- Increased risk of child marriage as girls are offered in marriage arrangements for dowries that will feed their families
- Poor academic performance and intellectual development
- Increased risk of gender-based violence and abuse
- Increased risk of child labor as children leave school to support their families
- Death
- Vulnerability to life-threatening illnesses
It’s impossible to know how long the global food crisis will last, but experts say it could last years if action isn’t taken.
So, what is being done to stop the impact of this crisis in the lives of children and families around the world?
A global leader in holistic child development is prepared to intervene when disasters and crises strike. Compassion International’s 8,500+ local Church partners are best positioned to assist in this crisis because they have established decades of trust and relationships within the community.
In the short term, Compassion provides food packages and/or cash transfers to families at risk of food insecurity. Since 2020, 23+ million of these food packs have been delivered. Compassion supports long-term food security by equipping families with seeds, fertilizer, livestock and training on how to build and maintain home gardens and small-scale farms.
Compassion’s local church partners also provide routine screenings for children so they can respond immediately to new or developing nutritional needs. These interventions help families return to normal so children can experience healthy development and thrive in their God-given potential.
How can you help?
Be the solution for a child. Through sponsoring a child with Compassion, that child will be provided with food and critical support. The child you sponsor will also receive healthcare, education, and holistic care through his/her local church. For $43/month you can not only sustain a child through the global food crisis but release a child from poverty in Jesus’ name.
*Source: apnews.com