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{Blog Action Day} Famine Is the New F Word: 5 Ways to Help!
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Blogging—Today is Blog Action Day. Bloggers from all over the world are raising awareness about food. When I think of food, I normally think of my favorites: cheese, oysters, salad, and soup, especially given the time of year. But this season, I am not thinking as much about food as much as I am focusing on the lack thereof in many parts of the world.
ONE.org's current "F Word" campaign puts a spin on the traditional definition by calling "famine" the new F Word. Why? Think about it. More people pay attention to hollywood breakups than they do to the fact that 30,000 African children have died of starvation. We're not talking one or two kids, which still wouldn't be OK. We're talking 30,000, folks! And, what's worse? The famine in the horn of Africa is threatening many more lives to the tune of 13 million people. Obscene!
Via ONE.org, "Growth in agriculture is twice as effective in reducing poverty as growth in other sectors."
When government and non-government organizations join forces, they can make a tremendous positive impact in supporting foreign countries and in this case, helping fight famine.
On a trip this summer to Kenya, I visited an Irish potato farm...
and a dairy farm (where Karen from Chookooloonks.com milked a cow for the very first time)...
I saw the inspiring work of USAID and Land O'Lakes at work in rural Kenya. Locals, with these organizations' assistance, were leading the agricultural growth in an effort to fight famine and provide sustainable ways to feed their people.
But these programs are at risk. Per ONE.org:
In Africa and beyond, the US government is investing in local agriculture, safety nets, risk management, and other programs so that this type of tragedy becomes history. But this fall, Congress threatens to cut foreign assistance programs like Feed the Future that sustainably help people break the cycle of poverty and hunger. This, coupled with increased peace and security can help ensure famine never happens again.
5 Ways You Can Help Fight Famine
You may feel very far away from places like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia—places at high risk for famine. But, you don't have to travel any further than the walls of your own home to make a difference. Here are 5 ways you can help right from where you're at:
- Find out the facts and what you can do to help. http://usaid.gov/fwd/action.html
- Text your support. http://one.org/us/actnow/do-more.html
- Sign this petition to raise your voice to congress in support of foreign aid: http://one.org/us/actnow/
- Write your congressman/woman: http://www.one.org/c/us/about/844/
- Share your knowledge via Twitter, Facebook, email, and your blogs.
Take Part in Blog Action Day
- On social media: Follow discuss and share on Twitter via the #BAD11 hashtag or our Facebook Page .
- Write your own blog: Write a blog, use the #BAD11 tag , register your blog with us and promote it via Twitter and Facebook using the #BAD11 tag.
- Read and comment: Read other people’s Blog Action Day blogs and have a conversation with them by leaving them a comment.
How do global issues impact you? What can you do from your own corner of the world to make a difference for those suffering in other countries? How can you help fight the global famine crisis?
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