Who Are the Hungry and Malnourished? 

Our name, Rotarian Action Group for the Alleviation of Hunger and Malnutrition and our Mission Statement were chosen quite deliberately. Hungry and malnourished individuals and groups are found on every continent, in every country and in most communities.  According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, there are an estimated 800 million persons or 15 % of the global population who comprise the hungry in our World.

The choice of the word “alleviation” rather that “elimination” was intentional in that the causes of hunger and malnutrition are complex and the opportunities to address the global and local problems are many and varied.  Typically, “the hungry” simply do not have access to diets with adequate levels of energy or calories.  The irony is that a rapidly expanding group of individuals world wide are suffering from diseases associated with overweight and obesity.  Obesity and malnutrition typically result from consuming diets with excessive amounts of fat and sugar and which lack balanced levels of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

We also recognized that the alleviation of hunger and malnutrition is closely linked to the alleviation of poverty.  Where families and individuals have the knowledge, skills, resources, employment opportunities and adequate incomes, they will normally chose to use these to grow or purchase the food they need to feed themselves.  Among the lowest income groups the most vulnerable to malnutrition are; pregnant and lactating women and infants and young children.  Other causes of malnutrition are persons suffering from preventable and debilitating diseases including those caused from drinking contaminated water and from the growing scourge of HIV/AIDs.

We recognized that a goal of ending hunger and malnutrition was, frankly, not be a realistic one.  However, in the words of the ancient sheerer, even the longest journey must begin with the first step.  One additional low income family with access to a community food bank or pantry, one additional child that receives a nutritious school lunch, one additional mother who gives birth to a healthy full term infant, one additional street child provided with access to shelter, food, training and hope, or one additional village with a new potable water supply represent small but achievable steps on that long road.

We would like to encourage every Rotary District, every Rotary Club and every Rotarian, if they have not already done so, to adopt one or more projects or continuing programs which will contribute to the alleviation of hunger and malnutrition globally or in their communities.  As membership and support for the Action Group for Alleviation of Hunger and Malnutrition grows, our objective will be to encourage the development of partnerships among Clubs in order to expand the number of cost effective projects and programs being funded by Rotary which contribute to meeting our Goals.  Working together, Rotarians can have a Global impact.

Dr. Donald Ferguson,
Organizing Member of the Rotarian Action Group
for the Alleviation of Hunger & Malnutrition