World Hunger Doc.

8/9/2019 World Hunger Doc.

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Emily Spencer

Mr. Hillebrands

English 11

2 April 2009

World Hunger-- Ethiopia and Kenya

The extreme or general scarcity of food as in a country or large geographical

area is the definition of famine. When a person experiences hunger in the United

States it usually means that, that person did not eat enough for breakfast. In countries

such as Ethiopia and Kenya when a person experiences hunger it is usually way more

than just an empty stomach. When a body is not feed it then experiences a lack of

energy which slows down a persons body eventually causing them to be very weak and

vulnerable to illnesses (World Food Programme). If food production is more than it has

ever been then why are so many people hungry? One in seven people are going hungry

yet there is enough food to feed all 6.7 billion people in the world. . The countries,

Ethiopia and Kenya, have been suffering from famines and droughts for some time now.

The reasons for their suffering may have to do with political problems, poverty, natural

disasters, and poor agriculture. The history of starvation in these countries dates back

to early 1980's. Famines have dated back to early bible times and ancient Egyptian

texts which suggest that food shortages are as old as human civilization (Masci).

Countries around the world such as the United States have been trying for years to help

the people of Ethiopia and Kenya get back on their feet. The best way to keep these

countries (Ethiopia and Kenya) from starving is to support organizations which give aid

to people suffering in all areas which lead to death.


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Even though the whole world has been suffering from hunger African countries

were not really noted for being countries of people starving. Most of the big famines

have taken place in Asia or Europe but around 30 years or so ago, the famines started

moving out of Asia and Europe and into Africa. Africa, today, is the only continent that is

still at risk for famines. Millions over the last 30 years have died in Africa alone (Masci).

The northeast part of Africa is often called the Horn of Africa and those countries

are suffering the most. In the early 1980's in northern Ethiopia there was famous

drought that people all over the world heard about. In 1984 the famine as a result of the

drought hit and around 1 million people died (Lacey). That same year and the next

(1984-1985) around 8 million people, which is around 18% of the population, suffered

food shortages because their land would not produce anything (Lacey). The main

occupation of people in African countries is farmers, so if the land will not produce

anything then there will be no food for the people."It is true that droughts have come

and gone here since the early 1970's" (Lacey). The agriculture is dependent on rain.

The last time there was a drought almost as bad as in 1980 was 2000-2001 when

around 10 million people were affected and the UN predicted that around 50,000 people

died from food related problems. (Lacey) During the 1980's Famine the government in

Ethiopia was communist so they were not willing to accept help from other countries,

when they realized that they did need help (Ritter). In 2006 there was a drought that

would never leave the country of Ethiopia alone that caused crop failure and livestock

loss (What causes hunger). A big part in helping countries suffering due to famine is to

help them learn from their past mistakes.


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areas. The reason for moving into an urban area is that there are doctors, more jobs,

and education. When coming to the urban area, they soon realize that it is not all that

they had expected. It is hard to get a job if you do not have an education; therefore they

run into the same problems no food, water, bathroom facilities and education. One

problem people may run into if they do have an education is language skills, in Ethiopia

alone over 80 languages are spoken, the main is Amharic. In Kenya there are around

62 languages spoken so less but still plenty. In the United States we are delighted to

have the help of food banks, unemployment checks, and government help. These

countries are still developing a government, so they do not have the enjoyment of these

great organizations. It is hard to escape a famine when it is neighboring someone in all

directions.

In order to offer aid to these countries it is imperative to recognize what the

causes of the famine are in these countries. Most people do not realize that the

government is one of the main causes for starvation. When going into a country such as

Ethiopia to offer help, one must first contact the government to get their organization

approved. The government tends to like to make money off of the agencies. An

example of this is an organization that went to the government to ask if they could help

the country out by giving them food. The government responded by saying yes if your

organization gives us money. Some people who live in Ethiopia see their government as

not caring for the people just the money (Ritter). The next cause is an immense one,

Poverty. So what causes poverty itself some may say HIV/AIDS others say money.

When having a limited income, a person is forced to choose between food and doctor

visits. Clearly the person would choose food so that they may stay alive, even if their


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sickness will end up killing them. Many people die of illnesses that could easily be cured

by visiting a doctor but choosing food for your family means giving up getting help. If the

father dies of the illness then that will leave the wife and children with no money which

will eventually cause the wife to get sick leaving an orphan. The final cause is also seen

a big cause and that is natural disasters. Ethiopia and Kenya suffer from many droughts

which is bad when the countries are rain dependent for their agriculture. Droughts are

now one of the most common causes of food shortages in the world. Droughts cause

crop failure and livestock death. Underprivileged farmers typically sell their livestock if

they have no crops, but recently in the Horn of Africa livestock are not having a chance

at survival (World Food Programme). During 2001in Ethiopia rain did not come down

causing 50,000 people to die and 10 million to be affected. During this time getting aid

from other countries was tough due to the fact that the country was at war with Eritrea

(Drought in Ethiopia). In 2005, Kenya was suffering from a failure of rain and one man

said that all of his 289 cattle had died that year (Hunger leads to). When giving aid to

these countries it is important to remember that factors that lead to the famine in the first

place.

The only way to help stop hunger in these countries is to assist organizations that

are giving food and helping the country have a better economy. NGOs or non

government organizations are all over helping out countries. Some organizations are

trying to teach better farming skills and knowledge of the land so they can be sure to

produce crops. Some are trying to teach hygiene (will help prevent HIV/AIDS) and

provide wells so that people can access water at all times. Some are providing

education, so the children can get better jobs to provide for their families. Experts on the


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subject say that people have different opinions on which they prefer to have help. The

EUs (European Union) way of giving is by giving money so that the people themselves

can buy from farmers and help support the farming business. The United States of

giving is by giving the food itself directly to each person because often there is no food

in the food markets. The thing the people need to remember is that these countries are

giving to them and helping them make it another day so they should be satisfied no

matter what kind of help they are getting. Well known organizations such as the World

Food Programme, Bread for the World, World Vision, and Freedom from Hunger are

helping by giving shiploads of food to people and helping them make a better life for

themselves (You Can!...). Smaller organizations such as Fame and Rafiki send people

out to distribute food, build orphanages, and open medical clinics. Former vice principle

at Carmel High School John Abell recently took a trip to Kenya and Ethiopia working

with the organization Fame. Before leaving on his trip, he and others raised money in

order to buy rice. When arriving there he was able to distribute the rice to many families

and help them start to have a better life. Doing small things such donating to big

organizations can give the people of Africa hope for a better life.


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Works Cited

Cooper, Mary H. "World Hunger." 25 Oct. 1991. CQ Researcher. Carmel High School, Carmel.

23 Mar. 2009 .

"Ending the cycle of hunger in Ethiopia." Science in Africa. July & Aug. 2003. 23 Mar. 2009

.

"Fame." Fame. 23 Mar. 2009 .

"Hunger leads to deaths in Kenya." BBC. 23 Mar. 2009

.

Lacey, Marc. "Drought in Ethiopia Prsesages a Possible Famine." New York Times. 5 Jan.

2003. 24 Mar. 2009 .

Masci, David. "Famine in Africa." 8 Nov. 2005. CQ Reseacher. Carmel High School Library,

Carmel. 23 Mar. 2009 .

"Rafiki Foundation." Rafiki Foundation. 23 Mar. 2009 .

Ritter, Sherri. "Starvation In Ethiopia." E-mail interview. 19 Mar. 2009.

World Food Programme. 23 Mar. 2009 .

"You Can!... Help reduce Hunger." Hunger Notes. 23 Mar. 2009

.


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