UP Ibalon Bicol: Donations sought for this year’s 1 billion hungry people worldwide

Donations sought for this year’s 1 billion hungry people worldwide

11/16/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

The World Food Program (WFP) disclosed that for this year, an unprecedented number of hungry people will reach 1 billion. This translates to about 1 in 6 individuals getting hungry everyday. The United Nations (UN) organization asked people from rich countries to help in its online campaign for the poor by donating $1 dollar a week (www.wfp.org//1billion).

According to Josette Sherran, executive director of WFP, though governments worldwide have traditionally helped in beefing up funds to feed the poor, the present economic decline required that the private sector must assist in the anti-hunger effort.

A world food summit is scheduled in Rome, Italy to seek solution(s) for the increased hungry people. Countries like Germany, Britain, Italy, France and Japan are said to have withdrawn from their pledges in raising $20 billion this year. The fund is supposed to be used to prop-up agriculture in poor countries (http://www.avaaz.org)

Poverty in the Philippines

In spite of the over-hyped anti-poverty gains made by Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo, economist Cielito Habito of the Ateneo de Manila University in a recent forum said 35% of Filipinos are estimated to have fallen under the poverty line.

In spite of the economic gains of businesses, the ranks of the financially marginalized continued to expand ---- making it hard for the country to meet the UN-conceived millennium development goal of cutting poverty to half its rate by year 2015.

Experts blamed the failure of government officials to address the long-standing problems of the economy. Although the Philippines posted some economic growth, the living condition of the poor was still getting worse. Most of the growth was centered in the National Capital Region (Manila)leaving behind the poor Filipinos in the provinces and countryside. (PHoto Credit: mykworks) =0=

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Labels: 2009, economy, hunger, national economic planners, Philippines, poor, poverty, Totie Mesia, United Nations, World Food Program

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Donations sought for this year’s 1 billion hungry people worldwide

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