Fifteen million children die of hunger every year.
Did you know that at this moment in time more than 500 million people are living in “absolute poverty” and more than 15 million children die of hunger every year? Let me say that again: Fifteen million children die of hunger every year. Fifteen million children. Die. Of hunger! EVERY YEAR! Take a moment of silence and think about that.
On Monday, Mia Farrow started a hunger strike to bring attention to the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. She is doing this in response to Sudanese President Omar al Bashir’s expulsion of 16 humanitarian agencies that provided food and other assistance to millions of displaced people in Darfur.
According to the CARE website (one of the expelled aid agencies), “On March 4, 2009, CARE, along with several other international organizations, received a letter from the government of Sudan canceling our operations in the country. CARE’s expulsion from the country leaves 1.5 million people without the assistance they rely on to survive.”
Karma Yoga, The Yoga of Action
The practice of yoga must not be restricted to our yoga mats. We must also put our yoga into action. Karma yoga is the practice of selfless service and, contrary to popular belief, it is not the practice of taking action to gain reward. Rather, it is about taking action and doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Karma means action. It is the compilation of all the acts one does from birth to death.
6 Things You Can Do Right Now to Help End World Hunger
- Call 1800 G-E-N-O-C-I-D-E. From there, you can enter your 5 digit zip code. This will connect you directly with your state Representatives and Senators. Urge them to ask President Obama to complete the Sudan policy review and get the humanitarian aid groups back into Darfur.
- Visit www.1800genocide.com for tips on what to say to your elected officials
- Educate yourself and your children about the Darfur crisis and the World Hunger crisis. Read the list of World Hunger facts below. Watch the World Hunger video from hungrykids.org to the right of this post.
- Look up your State Representative and Senator’s records on Darfur-related legislation at www.DarfurScores.org. Simply enter your zip code to obtain their Darfur report card. Not happy with the grade? Call them.
- Visit Heifer.org and find out more about what they do. Heifer’s mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth. Heifer does this by providing appropriate livestock, training and related services to small-scale farmers and communities worldwide. A donation of only $20 will provide a flock of chicks, ducks, or geese for a family, giving them food and resources to become self-sustaining. Each family “passes on the gift” by giving at least one of the offspring of its animals to another family in need.
- Help spread hope, not fear. Forward this post to your email list, Facebook or Twitter urging your friends to take action with you.
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Thank you for the combination of touching our emotions and giving us practical advice on how to help. And congratulations that this post is among the top three in Bloggers Unite for Hunger and Hope.
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