Not Just Food … Food Security
Chronic hunger, or food insecurity, means that a family isn't meeting its most basic nutritional needs for some or all of the year. Our
goal is to help families achieve freedom from hunger — or food
security by ensuring that they have the ability to grow or buy enough
food to maintain a healthy and productive life.
Chronically hungry families, like those Freedom from Hunger serves, may have
access to food during part of the year, but they are still considered food insecure because they experience a "hungry season". Food security is a complex
problem that must be tackled on several different levels (family, community,
country and internationally). Freedom from Hunger focuses on the grassroots
of the problem, creating self-help solutions that families can use to address
the three key elements of food security:*
- Availability: Ensuring consistent and adequate access to
food for each member of the family.
- Access: Building resources (such as improving income and
savings) to obtain food for the family even during hungry seasons.
- Utilization: Promoting knowledge of nutrition and access
to basic health care so bodies can absorb food properly.
Fast Facts about Food Insecurity
- Did you know that the most common -- and most commonly deadly -- form of
hunger is chronic hunger and malnutrition? More than 800 million people are
food insecure.
- According to the World Health Organization, nearly one in three people who
are chronically hungry will die prematurely or have disabilities. Chronically
hungry people are less likely to achieve their potential as wage earners because
of sickness or other deficiencies trapping them in poverty.
- More than 16,000 children die every day from hunger-related causes. Most
of these children are mildly or moderately undernourished, their bodies unable
to fight common illnesses that we could easily overcome.
* Food and Agriculture Organization
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