This is a campaign involving 100 organisations in Great Britain and Ireland that have come together to make 2013 the year in which we make dramatic progress towards ending global hunger. News reports and resources contacts follow.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu have thrown their weight behind a new campaign aiming to combat malnutrition and hunger in the developing world.
One hundred development and faith British charities have united behind the Enough Food For Everyone IF coalition, urging Prime Minister David Cameron to use the UK’s G8 presidency in 2013 to tackle the causes of hunger in the developing world.
The campaign, being billed as the largest coalition of its kind in the UK since Make Poverty History in 2005, warns that the “scandal” of children growing up hungry will trap almost a billion young people in poverty by 2025 and cost the developed world £78 billion over the next 15 years.
Dr Desmond Tutu, the former Archbishop of Cape Town and a long-serving human rights campaigner, said: “Hunger is not an incurable disease or an unavoidable tragedy. We can make sure no child goes to bed hungry.
“We can stop mothers from starving themselves to feed their families. We can save lives.
“We can do all of this, if we are prepared to do something about it. If we challenge our leaders to take action. If they listen to us.
“It’s time the world’s decision-makers came to the right decision on hunger.
“It’s time to end the unnecessary suffering caused by the failure of the current food system. We can make hunger a thing of the past if we act now.”
Billionaire Mr Gates is also well-known for his philanthropic work through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, most notably in combating malaria.
The IF campaign was formally launched at Somerset House in London this week, at an event expected to feature celebrities including actors Bill Nighy, Keeley Hawes and Bonnie Wright, Senegalese musician Baaba Maal, former athletes Denise Lewis and Colin Jackson, and ex-England rugby captain Matt Dawson.
See also –
IF – Enough food for everyone at –
http://enoughfoodif.org/
BBC News –
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21155529
Christianity Today –
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/new.antipoverty.campaign.calls.for.end.to.hunger/31503.htm
Help make politicians keep promises to wipe out hunger – Insight from NI
The leaders of the G8 must take action and support the IF campaign, says Linda McClelland
Belfast Telegraph – There is enough food in the world to feed everyone. Yet nearly one billion people go to bed hungry and every year more than two million children die from malnutrition.
Hunger is the greatest scandal of our age, killing more people than Aids, malaria and tuberculosis combined
Almost all hungry people – more than 97% – live in developing countries. But many people here also struggle to put food on the table.
The IF campaign marks the biggest coming-together of the UK’s major development agencies and faith groups since Make Poverty History in 2005. It is launched today in cities around the UK, including Belfast and Derry.
The IF campaign calls on David Cameron to use the UK’s G8 presidency to take action on the root causes of the hunger crisis:
• IF governments keep their promises on overseas aid, stop children dying from malnutrition and help the poorest to feed themselves;
• IF we stop companies dodging taxes on overseas profits, so the poorest countries have the resources to free themselves from hunger;
• IF we stop poor farmers being forced off their land and use land to grow food, not biofuels for cars;
• IF we force governments and corporations to be honest about the actions they take that stop people getting enough food.
The campaign has gained the support of sportsmen and women, musicians, celebrities, entrepreneurs, such as Bill Gates, and church leaders, including Desmond Tutu, who said: “Hunger is not an incurable disease, or an unavoidable tragedy.
“We can make sure no child goes to bed hungry, if we challenge our leaders to take action.”
War on Want Northern Ireland stands alongside the other development agencies and many faith groups supporting the IF campaign.
Like many of the other agencies, War on Want Northern Ireland supports the poorest and most vulnerable people in some of the poorest countries.
Rita Ailaat, a 41-year-old widow from north-east Uganda, lives with her four surviving children. During my last visit to the country, in September 2012, Rita told me of her life some years ago, before joining a community farmers group supported by War on Want Northern Ireland.
She had lived in a dilapidated one-room grass-thatched house. She had nothing to eat and she listened to her hungry babies cry themselves to sleep each night and she was left feeling hopeless and useless.
Now, with the support of the community group, she has the knowledge, skills and resources needed to cultivate her small holding of land and grow and sell appropriate drought-resistant crops and vegetables.
Now she can afford to feed her children properly and send them to school and make plans for her and her family’s future.
Of the world’s hungry, 60% are women. There are too many women in our world who have to live a life of poverty and hunger like Rita once did.
Join us by signing up to the IF campaign at ww.enoughfoodif.com. Ask our political leaders and decision-makers to keep their promises on overseas aid and climate finance, to invest in simple and effective things that stop children being malnourished, that empower small-scale farmers, like Rita, to grow enough food and adapt to climate change.
We need the effort of governments to tackle the root causes of poverty and hunger and this can come about IF the general public back the IF campaign.
Together, we can actually build a world where no child has to go hungry.
Challenge by C of E bishops
The Bishops of Hereford and Derby today challenge governments, companies and citizens to take the necessary steps to reduce the millions currently going hungry, as a coalition 100 organisations come together to make 2013 the year in which we make dramatic progress towards ending global hunger – IF.
Speaking as the Lead Bishop on rural issues, the Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Revd Anthony Priddis, said: “Today, the world produces enough food to feed all seven billion of its inhabitants, but nearly one billion still go without. The growing levels of food insecurity in an age of plenty challenge the Gospel message of abundant life.”
Bishop Anthony continues: “As a Church we are called upon both to feed the hungry and to expose and eradicate the causes of debilitating hunger. This year’s IF campaign provides us all with an opportunity to cast a spotlight on our broken food system and to press governments, companies and citizens to take the necessary steps to reduce the millions currently going hungry.”
In a podcast released to mark the launch of the IF campaign, the Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Alastair Redfern, who will be speaking at the campaign launch, said: “IF is a very small word but it can have enormous consequences and this campaign asks all of us to use the word ‘IF’ for ourselves – our spending, our resources, our praying, our hopes for a better world in 2013.”
Bishop Alastair continues: “It’s a national campaign, an international campaign, drawing people together – IF. IF we can join together then many more people can be lifted out of hunger. Let all of us hear that word: “If you wanted to, you could help me more.” And let each of our hearts reflect on that word: “If we tried harder we could make a huge difference.” And that’s what this year of 2013 is all about and what our endeavours are about as we join with others for this campaign.”
The Bishop of Derby’s podcast can be found at the following link: http://audio.cofemedia.org.uk/synod/bishopofderbyifcampaign.mp3
The Church of England will be using the UK Presidency of the G8 to focus on two key concerns: hunger and sexual violence in conflict. To learn more about the Church’s work in both these areas please visit the following website:http://www.churchofengland.org/our-views/international-affairs/the-uk-g8.aspx
Resources
Resources are available at
www.tearfund.org/en/get_involved/campaign/if/