World Hunger in Africa – Just Like My Child
World Hunger in Africa
There are many problems in this world like world hunger in Africa, but there are solution to these problems too. Just Like My Child is teaming up with Asili Hospital to educate the people of Uganda and give them the tools to end hungry and malnutrition.
In the U.S. we want to believe we make better food choices than less developed countries because we have the education and resources to do so. However, we are not as different as you might think.
In the past year I have seen various news outlets make the correlation between our current economic challenges and poor health. When the price of a fast food meal is a fraction of the cost of the fresh meats and vegetables that go into a healthy meal, it is no wonder that American’s are experiencing spikes in the numbers on the scale, and their health issues.
In Africa, similar choices are being made, at the detriment of the health of their communities. Recently, journalist Allan Richter accompanied me on a trip with other Just Like My Child supporters to Uganda to learn more about the nutritional issues that impact health and wellness in Africa. His findings are documented in a recent article In the Belly of Africa.
Richter draws attention to the nutritional issues and what motivates their food choices. Just like in the U.S. “filling stomachs trumps nutritional value.”
While writing his article, Richter met with Josephus Walulya, a veterinarian and farmer who helps train villagers how to take care of and earn money with the chickens or pigs they receive under the Just Like My Child program. “When a child is hungry the parent will buy bread instead of an egg so the child will feel more full,” says Walulya.
Does this sound familiar? What will make us full for the least amount of money? What is more readily available and most convenient?
Richter goes on to explain, “as a result, poor villagers pursue convenience and cost savings over nutritional diversity, evidenced by the widespread reliance different regions of Uganda have on a single food.”
To combat the issue of single-crop production, Sister Ernestine of the Bishop Asili Hospital in rural Uganda teaches patients how to diversify crops and optimize the soil and weather conditions. Through Just Like My Child Foundation’s and other donations, the hospital is supplied with dietary supplements to help the patients with a more balance diet.
In the U.S. we assume there will always be a variety of food to choose from and that skilled farmers will take care of the production and distribution. What if you had to be as self-sufficient as the villagers in some of the most impoverished communities of Uganda and produce your own crop diversity?
The staff at Bishop Asili Hospital understands that education is the best form of prevention and health and they are providing exceptional services, education and programs to Uganda. We are proud to be the main benefactor for these efforts.
Written by likemychild
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