A Simple Act for the Hungry People

Photo by DFID - UK Department for International Development

A malnourished child being treated near the border of Ethiopia with Somalia.

I’ve recently read an article in Time magazine about the plight of the Somalis. Due to the extensive drought in their area, they are forced to leave their homes, bringing along all their family members and their few possessions. It was like an exodus toward wilderness. Millions of Somalis left their homes and went on to march somewhere. Many had died during the exodus. The people had suffered from severe famine. Some
became too weak, especially the children and the elderly. Those who didn’t make it were buried on the spot. While reading the article, I have pictured the exodus scene. The scene of people collapsing and dying before reaching their destination was heartbreaking. What’s more depressing is that the food coming from worldwide donations weren’t able to reach them. Since there had been a civil war, sending food has been hampered for the fear of feeding the terrorists. My thoughts and prayers are with the Somalis.

Meanwhile, there are also many other places afflicted with famine. You and I can make a difference by just participating into this website:

http://www.freerice.com

The above link is a website of educational questionnaires about a variety of topics. You just have to choose your favorite topic. In my case, I always play geography. I love memorizing the countries in the map. You could learn just by answering many questions. For each question you answer correctly, you will be donating 10 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program. The sponsors of this program will be the ads appearing below the questions.

I know this act of simply answering questions might not be enough. World hunger is too much of a big problem to solve. But I still want to be optimistic. If this little act could help at least one hungry person, then I know I could make a difference. I hope that someday, I’ll be able to help them much more.