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WHAT IS CAFOD DOING ABOUT HUNGER?

Emergency food: When a food crisis strikes we make sure people have enough to eat. That

might mean distributing food to the most vulnerable, or giving people cash or food vouchers in return for work, so that they can buy food for themselves.

Extra food for children: Hunger affects children differently from adults as their

bodies are still developing. We distribute highly nutritious food supplements to children under five, and often to pregnant women and new mothers.

Tackling hunger in the long term: Ultimately, we want to help people grow or buy food

themselves by providing tools and seeds for farmers, or a boat to help people catch fish. It often means working with poor families to find new ways of earning money so they can afford to eat more healthily in the future and to work with farmers to develop farming methods in the face of changing climates.

Challenging the injustice: There’s enough food in the world for everyone, but millions don’t

get their fair share. Governments and global companies, which are a vital part of our food system, have the power to change this. We encourage people like you in England and Wales to join us in calling on people and companies with power to make the world a fairer place.

“It is not God’s will for some to have everything and others to have nothing.”

Archbishop Oscar Romero.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT… Have you ever felt really hungry? How did it feel? What did it then feel like to have a meal? Imagine if you didn’t know if you would eat today. How different would your day be? Is it easy for you to get food? What is your favourite food? What are your experiences of sharing food at home? When do you share food as a family? When do you eat together? Are there special times when you will sit down together to share and celebrate with food?

CAFOD is focussing on food for the next year. Find out more, watch videos, tell others, raise

money and call on people in power to make a positive difference to people across the world who lack food. Keep up to date at cafod.org.uk/hungry

God has created a beautiful and

abundant world.

If we look after it wisely, everyone can have enough to eat.

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FOOD: Case studies STORY 1—TAABU, KENYA

Fifteen-year-old Taabu’s mother knew her life would be hard: that’s why she named her “Taabu”, which means “problems” in the local language. The area they live in is often affected by drought, which makes it extremely hard to grow crops. In 2011, there was a very severe drought in the region where Taabu lives. Crops failed, and many animals died, including the family’s donkey, which they used to carry water. Taabu’s mother had to walk long distances to fetch water, so didn’t have time to farm. The family relied on the compassion of neighbours and on food handouts from the government to survive. Taabu said: “We have had to make do with little portions of whatever food my parents have been able to get especially due to the drought in this area. I wish I could have bigger portions of the food.”!!

Meet CAFOD, Taabu’s family goat! As part of our emergency response to the drought, CAFOD gave Taabu’s family cash grants of £22 every three months. The family used the money to buy food – maize, beans, sugar and flour – but also to

buy a goat. They were so grateful for the goat that they named it CAFOD! Why cash and not food? In times of drought, CAFOD often give cash to vulnerable families like Taabu’s, rather than simply handing out food. People are able to decide for themselves what is most important to buy. Taabu’s family were able to use the money to buy more than simply food: they also bought a goat, which will be useful for them in the long-term, a new water-tank so that Taabu’s mother wouldn’t have to walk so far and so often to fetch water, and some much-needed new clothes. STORY 2—KAREN, EL SALVADOR

In El Salvador, we help families like Karen’s to improve their crops, care for the environment and learn from each other. Karen lives with her mother and eight siblings in a small house. Sadly, her dad died when she was young, and her mum, Gladys, brings up the family on her own. The family own some land, which the boys work on. Gladys works as a fruit seller. Karen says: “Having my father around was a great help. When my mother and father were both here, things were easier. We had a better life. Before, we had more time to devote to our studies. My mother was at home, my father went to work and my brothers and sisters could concentrate more on their education. My brothers would help my father with the farming, but now they have to manage it all on their own. They grow corn, sweetcorn, beans, squash, tomatoes and lots of things.”

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Karen and her mum are part of a women’s group run by CAFOD’s partner Jesuit Development Service. Last year, JDS gave Karen’s family machetes, spades, rakes and hoes, to help them grow vegetables. Through the partnership with JDS, Karen hopes they will be given a fish pond, which will provide extra protein in their diet.

Karen says: “Our economic situation is difficult, but there are families worse-off than us. Some families don’t have anything to eat at all. Through God’s will, in spite of being poor, if you want to call it that, we manage because God helps us.”

MYTHS AND REALITY

Fight the myths with reality!

Myth: Disasters, like droughts or wars, are the reason why people go hungry. Reality: Over 90 per cent of hungry people simply can’t grow or buy enough food to eat, day in, day out. Myth: We don’t have enough food to feed everyone. We need to increase the amount we produce. Reality: Right now, there’s enough food to feed everyone in the world. But, because it’s not shared fairly, not everyone has enough to eat. Myth: Global hunger has always existed –

there’s little we can do about it. Reality: The number of people across the world who don’t have enough to eat is growing. But some countries have had remarkable success in freeing millions of people from hunger. With public pressure, political will and targeted investment, this progress could be multiplied worldwide. Myth: We’ve given aid for decades, but people still go hungry. Nothing changes. Reality: Emergency aid is vital, but aid’s about more than food relief. Empowering aid which helps people in poverty speak up for their own needs is transforming lives. We’re calling for it to be a global priority. Myth: Companies are already tied up in red tape, more laws won’t make a difference. Reality: Global food companies are a vital and important part of our food system and have an enormous influence over the food that’s grown and eaten throughout the world. To balance this, workers, communities and consumers need a full picture of their activities and impacts. Myth: This is a huge global system. It’s nothing to do with me, I can’t change it. Reality: We are part of the system – which means we have the power to change it. Changing the food we buy, the amount we waste and the way we use energy can all help tackle poverty. Myth: The main thing charities like CAFOD do is give out food. Reality: In emergencies, we do provide life-saving food aid. Where we can, we buy food locally to boost local markets. But our main focus is empowering people to escape poverty so they can buy or grow nutritious food in the long term. No one wants to be dependent on food aid forever.