The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one third of the world population is a) overweight or b) obese (1). Concurrently, world hunger (malnutrition) rises steadily and consistently, with no sign of slowing (judging from the past decade) (2)…

 

If this paradox isn’t shaming enough, consider that the World Food Programme (WFP) retains the statement: ‘hunger kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined’ (3) (over 3.5 million) (4). Tragically, there has been no requirement for an altered statement. So when will death by food be rectified?

 

A starving community is expanding while an obesity epidemic increases. How did this happen? The solution is so embaressingly obvious that it has become painful to draw light to. Let's just admit that global distribution of resources is a good thing - has always been a good thing, and now, needs to happen. Distribution channels need to be re-directed, so that the starving and the obese can live. There is no more 'thinking music' to defer to - it's time to share and time to act. 

 

The global community was admonished (in parent to child fashion), when championing assistance. We were told; ‘No, no – you see, assistance begets dependence. There’s no point helping them as they will only ask for more. They need to help themselves’. Ah – help themselves, yes, that makes sense. Tough love. So, we were good little boys and girls, choking down our dinners and sleeping soundly knowing that ‘tough love’ would save the day.

 

Today the good little boys and girls of the world have grown up.  We now know that asking for help while dying, is not petulant – it’s paramount to existence. That no human has the right enable passivity based on ‘tough love’ – death, is not a ‘lesson’ – it’s a consequence of lack of life, lack of the ability for continuity…a break-down.

 

The message that the impoverished should reassess their debating strength before round two – was and still is wrong. There is no ‘right’ debate for life, just as there is no right ‘marketing tactic' against poverty. It is what it is.

 

Why did poverty have to be ‘dressed up’ in order to be taken seriously? Why did poverty have to be extra polite at the table of rich, continuously justifying its existence, position and reality? Why? Because it never happened to us and we didn’t want to understand.

 

Now (ironically), the fear of ‘asking for more', came not from those who were impoverished, but those who had plenty. Sadly they too are now sick and dying...

 

 

Those who waive proposals for fairer distribution of nutrients (unwanted, unused or dated) are 100% liable to the global community who woke up, grown up.

 

 

People in the west can’t move because their bellies are full;

 

People in the east can’t move because their bellies are empty;

 

We need to move so that they can too. Let’s get people moving by support fairer distribution of resources:

 

• Let’s be vocal about excess and highlight examples of it in our immediate environments.

 

• Let’s speak for those who can’t speak for themselves, who are hungry, tired and dying.

 

• Let’s defend epidemics as not ‘laziness’ but consequence – consequence of inequality.

 

Let us see that fairer distribution is not a petulant demand for ‘more’, it’s a desperate plea for ‘some’ and is purposeful and practical for both epidemics, on both sides of the globe.

 

 

Written by Abby Kempe for AK Services LTD. 

 

If you’d like to do something for someone right now – go to United Nations WFP: http://www.wfp.org/
 

(1)         http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/GlobalHealthRisks_report_part2.pdf

(2)        FAO (Food and Agriculture for United Nations) 2015.

(3)        https://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats

(4)        WHO topic by topic figures 2013