A Billion Hungry in 2009

The UN has announced that, worldwide, one billion people will go hungry in 2009.

The rising hunger epidemic is not the result of a food shortage but rather a money shortage, as people simply cannot afford to buy the food they urgently need.

Next month, the World Food Programme (WFP) will begin rationing its supplies and may very well run out of food altogether by March.

Why are the cupboards of the WFP so bare? Donations by wealthy governments have been less than promised, as funds have been diverted in use to bail out banks and businesses. Consequently, countries desperate in need, such as Sudan, remain empty-handed.

In the words of Josette Sheeran, WFP Executive Director –

While we worry about Wall Street and the high street, we are also paying attention to the needs of those who live in places with no street.

In 2000, world leaders vowed to cut in half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by 2015. Clearly, we have more work to do.