NOURISHING WELLNESS

DO NOW

When I think of people who are poor, I think of…

When I think of what being poor is like, I think of…

Four main causes of poverty in the world today are…

WELLNESSGod longs for everyone’s wellness

Full of vitality in body, mind and spirit

Begins with the body’s proper nourishment

THE PROBLEM OF WORLD HUNGERChronic hunger: never have enough food to give the body nutrients need to grow and maintain itself properly

More than 1 billion people do not have access to the food and water they need

WHO ARE THE CHRONICALLY HUNGRY?PoorLack access to social servicesLack political powerOften victims of injustice, oppression, and poor government planning

Often live in remote rural areas or are members of ethnic minority groups

They live, and die, for the most part, in the developing countries of the Southern Hemisphere

CHRONIC HUNGERAt its worst in AfricaAsia-Pacific region has the highest number of hungry people

Chronic hunger impacts 30 million Americans12 million children 1 out of every 8 children suffers from chronic hunger

2 FORMS OF CHRONIC HUNGERStarvation

Body does not receive enough calories to maintain itself

Metabolism slows

Body begins to eat itself

MalnourishmentDiet is extremely

limitedDoes not receive all of

the vitamins and minerals needed for proper physical and mental development and maintenance

Leaves a person vulnerable to many life-threatening diseases

WHY DO YOU THINK THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH HUNGER IN THE WORLD?

Complicated problemBegin by dispelling myths

NOT ENOUGH FOOD FOR TOO MANY PEOPLEMyth:Problem is how it is distributed

Redistributing a small amount of each country’s food supply would eliminate hunger

DROUGHTS AND NATURAL DISASTERS AS CAUSESMyth:Cultures have developed strategies for coping with this throughout history

Sometimes caused by human action i.e. deforestation

Poor people are most vulnerable

LAZY POOR PEOPLEMost poor people are hardworking and want to support themselves

Unable to do so because they are losing access to the resources needed for self reliance-- land, water, tools, animals, credit, and markets for their crops

Most of the hungry poor in America work unjustly low wages, unable to find jobs, cannot afford to work because of high cost of child care

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN HUNGER AND POVERTYFinding the causes of hunger means uncovering the causes of poverty

Poverty originates with losing the opportunity to be self-sufficient

Read 158-161 Take NotesReflection questions 5 and 6 on loose leaf.

THE DEMAND FOR EXPORTSWealthy countries demand products like coffee, sugar, lumber, and grains

Poor countries feel pressure to export to gain outside money

Money is focused on exports instead of poor

Businesses take over land… displace families

GOVERNMENT BY THE ELITE

Many of the worlds hungriest nations are controlled by the wealthy

Often interests are with the wealthy

CONDITIONS ON AID PROGRAMS

Aid is offered with strings attached May require aid to be used to build roads,

bridges, and airports These serve the wealthy not the poor

DEBT PAYMENTS AND CONDITIONS

Paying interest on loans takes away from programs for the poor

DISCRIMINATION

Ethnic, religious, and gender discrimination within poor countries also causes poverty

ARMS SALES

Military funding in poor countries is encouraged by rich countries

Money is spent on weapons The spiral of violence continues Increases repression and adds to poverty and

hunger

ABUSE OF LAND AND OTHER RESOURCES

The exploitation of poor countries resources leads to environmental degradation

Damaged land cannot be effectively farmed

THE END OF HUNGER

Most hunger is caused by human action Many of these actions stem from greed In the United States cutting funding in areas

such as military spending could end hunger

A EUCHARISTIC RESPONSE TO WORLD HUNGER

The Eucharist a Pledge to commitment Jesus gives himself to us as nourishment The Eucharist is at the heart of the Christian

response to world hunger Celebrating the Eucharist should make a

difference in our lives and in the world We should be moved to share and for all to feast

SHARING LOAVES AND FISH

The miracle accounts Foreshadows the Eucharist Everyone received plenty to eat and there was

much left over Feeding the hungry and spiritual nourishment of

the Eucharist are closely related

“LIFE IS A BANQUET”

“We cannot love God unless we love each other, and to love we must know each other.”

If we share there will always be enough

TOWARD ELIMINATING WORLD HUNGER Immediate responses:

People need food today: esp. those facing starvation

There are programs in place but they are only the beginning

Long-range solutions:Promoting self-sufficiencyGive a man a fish, and you feed him for a

day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Individuals and communities need access to basic resources like land, jobs, and credit

CHANGES IN GOVERNMENT POLICIES

The political and economic policies of wealthier nations have helped create poverty in many of the hungry nations

Changes to national and international policies are a critical part of worldwide efforts to provide food for all people

LIFESTYLE CHANGES

Live simply… Consume less Join in solidarity with those around the world

HEALTH CONCERNS IN THE HUNGRY WORLD

Adequate health care ranks high as a necessity

Basic level of health care is a basic human right

LACK OF GOOD FOOD AND GOOD WATER

A person who is starving rarely dies of hunger itself; rather from a disease contracted because of the weakened immune system

Nutritional deficiencies can cause diabetes, heart ailments, vision problems, obesity, skin diseases, and other problems

Exposure to bad water and poor sanitation makes poor people more vulnerable

HEALTH CONCERNS IN THE UNITED STATES Problem of access U.S. spends the most on health care However the access to health care leaves

poor people at a disadvantage Many receive inferior care or no care at all Great injustice in health care system in

America

VALUES THAT WORK AGAINST JUSTICE IN HEALTH CARE

Health care has become a business, with financial interests

Beyond this…

DENIAL OF LIMITS, DENIAL OF DEATH We are limited creatures, we will die We sometimes behave as if we are immortal

Drinking, smoking, high-stress jobs, face-paced lifestyle choices, diet high in fat

Then we expect modern medicine to solve it Accept that we are limited creatures

Helps us to live in the fullness of lifeRealizing our immortalityWe are finite, limited and responsible for honoring

our own dignity and that of others The inability to face death and limits is at the

core of much injustice in our society

INDIVIDUALISM

Individual needs and desires determine medical procedures down

Very little is done for the “common good” Ex: prenatal care,preventative care

PRIORITY ON HIGH-TECH SOLUTIONS, CURE OVER CARE

We look to technology to save everything Extraordinary medical means are costly and

often don’t lead to long term results Also take money away from preventative

care

A DECENT LEVEL OF HEALTH CARE FOR ALL

Place more emphasis on preventative care and health education

Must follow general principles

CONCERN FOR POOR PEOPLE

Anyone who does not have access to health care due to poverty, discrimination, lack of education, or lack of employer, or public support

Those who are most in need have a compelling claim to first consideration

Access needs to be universal

RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE AND DIGNITY

Needs of all must be addressed by health care reform

Respect for human life and dignity is an issue for all people

Strongly demonstrated by providing access to quality care

PURSUIT OF THE COMMON GOOD

Cannot provide more care to some people at the expense of others

Public and private sectors must be involved in developing health care policy

AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE

Must have systems that restrain the cost of care

The cost of health care is breaking all the banks