08 July, 2008

Remember the Hungry

The food crisis is far from over as Jamie Whitbread of the Guardian reminds us in an article today.

I find it hard to swallow that while most of the world has started to skip meals or forgo other necessities (clothing, education, medical attention, etc.) in order to buy food for their families the leaders at the G8 Summit are enjoying a twelve course meal.


Whitbread's article culminates with these thoughts:

Talking to the mothers [in Uganda] I heard again and again the same story as I heard in the market - people were cutting out meals, and withdrawing children from school to cope with rising food prices.

As a mother I can't imagine how it must be to see your babies wasting away from hunger, to grow up stunted and uneducated because school costs money which must now be used to pay for ever more expensive food.

Let me be clear, I do not deny the G8 leaders their food. They have a tough job to do. But my thoughts are with the millions of children who will tonight go to bed hungry because of the rise in food prices.

As our leaders loosen their belts after another satisfying meal and raise their glasses full of fine wine to celebrate the end of another successful summit, I hope they go home knowing that they have really and truly done all they can to ensure that the children I met survive until the next G8 banquet.


I only wish I could hope for half of what she does, for anything more than pompous chitchat and flat promises.