1 in 5 children in the UK today go to school hungry; half a million are too hungry or malnourished to learn. This shocking statistic emphasises the severity of world hunger.
In light of the lockdowns we have faced in the past year, many children did not receive free school meals during these times and therefore the demand for children’s food bank services have increased by 121% since March 2020. Due to COVID-19, 265 million people could face severe food insecurity or famine.
As a predominantly all girls school, we should be shocked that over 60% of people suffering from hunger are women. Previous views of societies in which men are the dominant sex, are still reflected today in this statistic.
These statistics show that hunger is a much more widespread issue across the globe than most people think. How many people are in your friendship group? In mine there are ten people so on average, two of my friends come to school hungry every single day.
So what can you do to help?
Most importantly being aware of the issue: The more people who know about world hunger the more people who can help!
Think carefully about what you say: Before you make remarks such as ‘I’m starving’ or ‘I’m so hungry’ because let’s be real, if you miss out on food for a couple of hours, you’re most likely not.
Make sure you are not just throwing away food: Only bring or buy what you know you will eat. SO much food is wasted every single day.