Kansas City, MO (October 14, 2013) World Food Day's theme on October 16 is "Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition." The reasons for that theme are numerous. While food security is something many people in the world take for granted, it is something that many others in the world desperately lack, experiencing extreme hunger on a daily basis. Until sustainable food systems are in place, nutritional interventions are essential in situations of extreme poverty, as well as in emergency or disaster situations. Children International's food-assistance program fills that gap.
A child dies from a hunger-related disease every 5 seconds, and many people may spend as much as 80 percent of their income on food, yet that is still not enough to feed them. Children International's nutritional-rehabilitation program directly supports the efforts of World Food Day by helping to rescue children and their families from the void of hunger. This program is essential to the people who suffer the effects of malnutrition.
Children International's School Feeding Program in Lusaka, Zambia, provides a mid-day meal to children in nine schools. The children who would otherwise likely not have access to sufficient food not only receive a nutritional meal but also attend school.
Jack McCanna, Children International's Vice President of Program Services, explains why World Food Day is such an important event to recognize. He says, "Children International's food programs are only one aspect of the interventions we make, but they are of critical importance. We also provide nutritional education to parents. When people learn how to make good nutritional meals – which can be hard with limited food budgets – their families reap the benefits, and that can create a pattern that impacts future generations and extinguishes hunger." The organization provides the education to lay the foundation for better nutrition for those families in the future.
Children International is dedicated to supporting efforts such as World Food Day.
Children International provides lunchtime meals in schools.
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For more information about Children International or to sponsor a child, visit www.children.org.
Children International prepares children and youth to escape the traps of poverty by supporting their critical needs, building resilience and engaging them in transformative activities. Children International accomplishes this by providing crucial benefits and compassionate care through easily accessible, modern community centers. Children International's presence, programs and supporters have a positive impact on children, youth, families and communities; provide protection; encourage self-sufficiency; and serve as catalysts for change.
