
Hunger and malnutrition are the great challenges of our time
WAH CANTT: The world is in a shambles. Employment rate is high, people are starving, crimes and murders are common, war still rages on in many countries, modern-day slavery has chained people, and the meaning of life has been reduced to mere monetary value. The biggest problem that perpetuates all this is the unequal distribution of wealth and resources.
Statistics show the six richest people in the UK control as much wealth as the poorest 13 million. Now imagine 13 million people living in poverty and harsh conditions while six people have held so much money in their bank accounts that they don’t even know what to do with it. Further statistics show that almost one out of every nine people go to bed hungry every night. About 24,000 people across the world die every day due to hunger or hunger-related causes and an estimated 850 million people in the world are facing some form of malnutrition. This is happening in a world where we produce enough food to feed everyone.
Hunger and malnutrition are the great challenges of our time. The deadly virus has now made things much more dreadful. According to World Food Programme, 256 million people could be pushed into acute food insecurity, almost doubling last year’s total. Pakistan is among the 55 countries projected to face acute food insecurities. Many countries are at risk because they have little or no capacity to absorb the economic hit of the health crisis. Lockdowns and economic recession are expected to lead to a major loss of income among the poor working class. It is important to lend a helping hand. Donations have had an immense impact on world hunger. In Ramazan we should donate food to the needy. A can of food may seem like a small step, but can make a huge difference in someone’s life.
Maryam Nabeel
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2020.
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