Families from impoverished communities are struggling to feed their hungry children. “Food prices are sky-high,” the people of Haiti report. “Fathers are struggling to feed their families. Our children are very hungry.” One of our staff members who recently visited Haiti heard these stories of believers and other Haitians struggling to afford food. Hungry children are not just found in Haiti, but worldwide.
High food prices, wars, and other problems have created a global hunger crisis. The United Nations estimates that 811 million people across the globe now go to bed hungry. The number of people facing severe food insecurity has nearly doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic. It will likely take years to return to previous conditions. According to Mercy Corps, an estimated 4.8 million people died worldwide from hunger-related causes as of June 15th of this year. This is equivalent to one-third of the population of Pennsylvania.
Record high food prices create financial stress.
In Africa, some choose between buying food or seeking medical care because there is not enough money for both. A mother of two children from India said, “We are not able to work. We are very hungry and in desperate need.” When she realized our contacts were providing food for a whole week, she excitedly asked if our contacts could help the rest of her small community. Although she was not a believer, she praised Jesus when she saw how God had provided for her need.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, CAM supporters provided millions of pounds of food to impoverished people through the Coronavirus Crisis Care program. The pandemic has largely subsided in many parts of the world, but we continue to see an increasingly desperate need for food. The Coronavirus Crisis Care is now transitioning to a new program—World Hunger Fund. This will enable us to respond to many ongoing requests for food in various parts of the world.
