FAHC: Donate Smiles!

Facts:

• The Indian subcontinent has nearly half the world's hungry people. Africa and the rest of Asia together have approximately 40%, and the remaining hungry people are found in Latin America and other parts of the world.
• In the Asian, African and Latin American countries, well over 500 million people are living in what the World Bank has called "absolute poverty".
• Every year 15 million children die of hunger.
• Half of all children under five years of age in South Asia and one third of those in sub-Saharan Africa are malnourished.
• About 183 million children weigh less than they should for their age.
• Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger.

Everyday we read about how India’s high-tech industries are booming, the ever growing GDP rates and how our nation is going to become world super power in few years. While we are proud of these facts as many development indicators are improving, including literacy and child mortality rates, we still can’t ignore the facts that nearly half of India’s children younger than four are still underweight, and our country has more hungry people than all of sub-Saharan Africa.

For many of us the right time to eat is when we are hungry but for a poor it is when he has something to eat. We are among few blessed one’s who don’t have to worry about feeding ourselves but there are millions of people out there those who don’t know if they will have a food on their plate. What can we do about it? Can we fight against hunger?

I say, yes, we can all fight against hunger. Not by just being sympathetic, but by joining our hands together. Aristophanes once said “Hunger knows no friend but its feeder” and there is one such friend in our food blogging community whom we all are proud of. It’s none other than V.K. Narayanan of My Dhaba who decided fight against poverty by initiating Feed A Hungry Child (FAHC) campaign.

What is FAHC?
feedahungrychild.org is a not-for-profit charitable organization formed in a collaborative effort of the like-minded people from all around the world. It aims to replace the empty plates of the underprivileged children and replace them with ones of food. While FAHC addresses the holistic needs of each children it supports, it believes illiteracy, malnutrition, and other concerns can only be addressed when hunger is appeased.

How can You help?
With the help of volunteers, FAHC has begun its support to a pilot batch of 14 children and their families since April 2007 out of which 8 children are girls. Funds from FAHC programs go directly to the children and their families. According to FAHC website, they do not have any paid employees or any other direct administrative expenses. This year FAHC is also fundraising to support more children by “Donate Smiles” drive and the goal is to raise $3,360 by October 23, 2007.

Are you still wondering what difference you can make? Think about the smile you will bring on to needy and underprivileged children just by donating few pennies. I, along with my fellow bloggers and friends from all over the world, am determined to make this a huge success because food is meant to be shared with others. This year when we will be celebrating Diwali, Eid and Christmas we will be replacing the empty plates of few families with the ones with food and what more can be gratifying than the feeling of seeing those happy faces.

“If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”
- Mother Teresa

Join hands to fight against hunger. Chip-in now and Spread Smiles…
Thank you
Sia

For more information or any queries, please send an e-mail to FAHC team at: info.fahc@gmail.com