On World Hunger Day in 2023, the world is hungrier than ever

Compassion International prioritizes a two-fold response to a worsening global food crisis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., May 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This Sunday is World Hunger Day, when we take time to reflect on the global crisis of hunger and highlight sustainable solutions. The world is hungrier than ever in 2023, with children in poverty among the most vulnerable. According to World Food Program, as many as 828 million people will go to bed hungry each night, and extreme weather, rising costs, and conflict continue to worsen the global food crisis.

That's why Compassion International is leading a local-first response in nine of the world's hunger hotspots in partnership with 1,600 frontline churches to provide both immediate and long-term support. Compassion provides food packs and cash transfers to stop hunger in its tracks and empowers families with seeds, fertilizer, livestock, and training so they'll have sustainable food supplies over time. Over the past year alone, Compassion supported more than 1.4 million people through its distribution of food packs.

Palamanga Ouali, Compassion's regional vice president for Africa, explains, "To thrive, children and youth must first have access to the basics of life. There is nothing more basic than food. The worry for most of us is about the ability of donors to commit and raise funds for the necessary interventions – short-term and medium to long-term sustainable interventions – to address the root cause of this problem."

The statistics are alarming, and the impact on children is severe. One UNICEF study looked at 15 developing countries and found that every minute, another child will suffer from severe malnutrition. The World Food Program reported that more than 345 million people are facing high levels of food insecurity in 2023. With numbers like these, children are more vulnerable to death, life-threatening illnesses, poor academic performance and intellectual development, gender-based violence and abuse, child marriage (as girls are offered in marriage for dowries that will feed their families), and child labor (as children leave school to support their families).

As hunger soars, how can the rest of the world make a difference for these hungry children and families? As a child development organization committed to caring for more than two million babies, children, and young adults, Compassion shares five ways:

Get the facts on the global food crisis. Learn how hunger affects children and their families. Explore how conflict creates chronic hunger. Watch this urgent video message from Compassion's church partners. Educate yourself on the link between poverty and hunger. Read up on topics like food security or malnutrition.

Use your voice. Share what you learned about hunger on social media or with those in your sphere of influence this May 28 on World Hunger Day. Raise awareness about the worsening global food crisis and spread the word about the needs of families and children in poverty.

Become part of the solution through support. Find humanitarian organizations that work with developing nations and support them. You can donate to Compassion to provide both immediate and long-term support to malnourished children and families. A $50 food pack will provide a family of five with a one-month supply of essentials, like rice, eggs, meat, milk, and corn; and sustainable solutions, such as livestock (chickens, goats, or pigs), mitigation (seeds, basic tools, and training), or agriculture (vegetable seeds or fruit trees), will help families find hope and build resilience over time.

Sponsor a child. Sponsoring a child in a hunger-affected country helps provide food security and gives children the opportunity to learn, play, grow, and reach their potential.

Pray. Compassion works with more than 8,500 frontline church partners all over the globe, and each church partner is trained to identify malnutrition and hunger and take immediate action to address it. Pray that God would equip these churches and staff members with wisdom, protection, endurance, and the resources to fight hunger and provide food security to children and families in their communities. And pray for God's comfort and provision to families struggling with food insecurity.

To learn more about poverty, hunger, and Compassion's solutions in the midst of a global food crisis, visit compassion.com/worldhungerday or compassion.com/globalfight.

About Compassion International
Compassion International is a Christian child development organization working to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. Founded in 1952, Compassion partners with more than 8,500 local churches in 29 program countries to deliver spiritual, economic, social, and physical care to over two million babies, children, and young adults in poverty. Ranked No. 12 in Forbes' America's Top Charities List in 2022, Compassion is a founding member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and an accredited charity with the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. For more information, visit compassion.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Allison Wilburn
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SOURCE Compassion International