I know this probably is too serious of a topic, but I feel really compelled to spread awareness about this subject so I'm going to post a copy of the facebook note I just wrote. Please read it, at the very least.
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Recently my eyes have been opened to the current food crisis that is affecting many third world countries worldwide. This increase in prices has spurred desperation and poverty everywhere, where people must stave off not only hunger but death by subsisting on cookies made of mud.
My friend Sarah recently single-handedly organized a fundraiser to benefit the people of Haiti through the Haitian Health Fund, where she raised over $500 in like a week. Her compassion and determination has really illustrated to me the importance of helping these people and inspired me to do something about it myself. That is why we will be trying to start an organization in the fall, existing only to raise awareness and aid those suffering as a result of this crisis.
Just to give you all an idea of the situation:
-Since mid-2007, food prices have increased by 40 percent.
-Rice prices have skyrocketed to near historical levels, rising by around 75 percent globally and more in some markets, with more likely to come. In Bangladesh, a 2-kilogram bag of rice now consumes about half of the daily income of a poor family.
-The price of wheat has jumped 120 percent in the past year -- meaning that the price of a loaf of bread has more than doubled in places where the poor spend as much as 75 percent of their income on food.
-Haiti in particular is severely affected by this because they must import most of their food, including 80% of their rice. The average person survives on less than $2 a day. Haiti once had productive farmland but those were destroyed due to erosion, deforestation, and tropical and flooding storms.
-It costs 10,000 to get ONE CRATE of food to Jermaine, Haiti.
-Dangerous riots and protests are beginning as a result of the food crisis – 33 countries risk political unrest if this is not resolved soon.
Please, please think about this situation and think about how blessed you are to live in a place like America. Even the poorest 1/5th of our nation spends a mere 16 percent of their income on food, compared to other places where families must use over 75 percent. For example, Nigerian families spend 73 percent of their budgets, Vietnamese 65 percent, and Indonesians half.
You may be worried about filling up your gas tank but these people don’t even have food to fill their stomachs. This issue not only affects current generations but if it continues, we risk the hindering the mental and physical development of generations to come – causing only more problems. It’s a vicious cycle and it’s time we put it to an end. I know it’s hard to comprehend the scope of poverty that resides outside our borders but it’s so much worse there than it is here, guys. Once you travel to these countries and you see their lives compared to ours, it’s really easy to be so eternally grateful for the blesses lives we lead. Please consider donating just a bit of your money – skip a latte, walk a mile instead of driving, get drunk at home instead of at a bar, ANYTHING.. please help.
I’ve included a link to some articles about Haiti. I also urge you to do some research and continue reading about the global food crisis, it’s not in just Haiti, it’s in a multitude of third world countries. It’s time we as a society step up and think about how our actions affect people worldwide. If you cannot afford to donate monetarily or volunteer your time, at least read and spread the word. Awareness is the first step towards action.
Haiti: News & Videos about Haiti - CNN.com