Truly Blessed

The more I learn about food insecurity and its effects on people, especially our children; I realize that I am truly blessed. In a report from Save the Children (“Stolen Childhoods”) reveals that at least 70 million children worldwide have their childhoods end at an early age. The reasons vary: extreme violence and conflict; early marriage and pregnancy; child labor; poor health; malnutrition and food insecurity; and not having an opportunity for education. Land of Promise’s vision is to eradicate food insecurity. The data in this report tells me we have a lot of work to do.

If you have been reading my blogs, some of this information is not a surprise to you. Millions of families across America struggle to put healthy food on their tables. One in every five children (20%) lives in a household that does not have regular access to food throughout the year. Food insecurity is highest from households located in rural areas. The majority of the states affected by food insecurity are in the south and southwest: Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Georgia. Children in these states are more likely to experience food insecurities which may lead to less healthy childhoods. More than 541,000 U.S. children live in households with severe food insecurity and experience hunger regularly.

I was most surprised with the United States’ ranking worldwide out of an index of 172 countries where there are food insecurities. The US ranks 36th, between Bosnia and Russia, well behind other developed nations, including Norway, France and the United Kingdom. The US also lags behind Portugal, Spain, Japan, Lithuania and Greece in its ranking.

A child’s formative years should be a safe time for playing, learning and growing. Every child deserves nutrition in order to develop into their full potential.

Stolen Childhoods: The US Complement End of Childhood Report 2017: http://www.savethechildren.org/atf/cf/%7B9def2ebe-10ae-432c-9bd0-df91d2eba74a%7D/STC_CHILDHOODREPORT_USCOMPLEMENT_2017_LOWRES.PDF

End of Stolen Childhood: End of Childhood Report 2017: https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/node/12167/pdf/endofchildhood_report_2017_english.pdf

“Let’s All Eat Together”