This article appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer

Monday, July 3, 2006

We Need to Escalate the War on Hunger

By William Lambers

In Sudan there are several million people at risk for hunger after fighting in that country between rebels and the government.

But Sudan is not alone. Hunger claims 25,000 lives every day across the globe. The war against hunger needs to escalate. The United States must lead the international community in this fight.

One way to start would be to increase funding to the United Nations World Food Program, the organization at the front line of feeding the hungry. It was the failure of nations to fund the World Food Program that led to a tragic cut in food rations for the war refugees in the Sudan during May. Today, it is feared that continued food shortages in the Sudan will jeopardize a recent peace agreement that ended the fighting between rebels and the government.

In Afghanistan droughts are a constant risk to that impoverished nation's food supply. Can we be certain that enough funding will be available to meet emergency food requirements in a country that is vital to the war on terrorism? Timely funding to the World Food Program is crucial because it takes several months for donations to find their way through bureaucracy and shipping before translating into a meal.

Increased donations will also help build infrastructure in underprivileged countries. In the Sudan, the World Food Program is helping construct roads for a faster movement of supplies.

Efforts to eradicate disease are also bolstered by augmenting food supplies. A case in point is the AIDS virus which is ravaging areas where hunger exists. James Morris, director of the World Food Program, states, "Without a healthy diet, their fight to survive this plague is being fought with one hand tied behind their backs."

Hunger is the most potent enemy for the international community to overcome. Disasters, both natural and manmade, are constantly reappearing around the world creating new humanitarian nightmares. More resources are needed to meet the massive challenge of fighting hunger.

William Lambers is a resident of Delhi Township and a graduate of the College of Mount St. Joseph. He is the author of several books.