Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the
LORD his God…who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.
Psalm 146:7
In our world today, one in twelve people suffers from malnutrition,[1] and almost 16,000 children die every day from hunger-related causes – which equals one child every 5 seconds.[2] In addition to this, malnourishment among children under the age of two is one of the leading challenges to reducing hunger worldwide.[3]
Malnutrition is indeed a serious problem in the Philippines. In 2002 there were approximately four million Filipino preschool children and three million Filipino adolescents who were underweight.[4] According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than 40 percent of Filipino households live on less than $2 a day and may have to spend more than half their income on food.[5]
Some of the damaging effects of malnourishment in children include lower intelligence, reduced physical capacity, and the passing on of malnutrition to the next generation. Unfortunately, these then cause a reduction in productivity and sluggish economic growth in the nations affected by malnutrition, which perpetuate the cycle of poverty.[6] Of course, the most tragic effect is the incredible loss of life due to children simply not receiving an adequate amount of nutritious food.
This is wrong and should not be tolerated. Undernourishment can be stopped and lives can be changed if we are willing to take action. Isaiah 58:7 says, “Divide your bread with the hungry.” When Jesus walked the earth, He pointed to the Lord’s concern for feeding the birds of the air (Matt 6:26). How much more is He concerned with feeding the little mouths of children who go hungry every day?
The heart of God is towards the needy! How can we not respond to this call? “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40).
What is the answer? How can we begin to fill empty stomachs with good things? The resources that are needed to end malnutrition in our world today are not lacking! We believe the answer is utilizing these resources to meet the needs that are all around us. This can be done in many ways. The endeavor of Hope For All Children is to utilize the resources within the Philippines to create nutritional meal supplements to feed malnourished children. The resources on the earth are plenty! We believe it’s the utilization of the resources for the need that has been missing in the solution.
How can you make a difference?
1. PRAY! Ask the Lord to show you what you can do to help change the course of the life of a hungry child. Pray for those who do not have nutritious food.
2. Consider volunteering at your local food bank or feeding program. Buy an extra bag of groceries on your next trip to the store and donate it or distribute it to a family in need.
3. Partner with Hope For All Children or another organization that is actively involved in feeding children. We need the Body of Christ working together to see the global change that we desire.
To contribute financially to Hope For All Children, Click Here.
To find out what our current needs are, email us at: info@hopeforallchildren.org.
And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. Matthew 10:42
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malnutrition
[2] Joyce Meyer, The Love Revolution, (New York: Faith Words, 2009)
[3] http://www.eturbonews.com/19009/2010-global-hunger-index-released-today
[4] http://www.apmforum.com/columns/orientseas49.htm
[5] http://www.ifpri.org/publication/philippine-agricultural-and-food-policies-0
[6] http://www.unicef.org/philippines/archives/news/060403.html