The Global Hunger Index is a peer-reviewed annual report, jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at global, regional and national levels. GHI describes how it approaches the various forms of hunger:
1) Hunger is described as the distress associated with a lack of sufficient calories on a daily basis to provide the dietary energy that individuals require to live a healthy and productive life.
2) Undernutrition signifies deficiencies in any or all of the following: energy, protein and/or essential vitamins and minerals and results from inadequate intake of food in terms of quantity or quality, poor utilization of nutrients due to infections or illness or a combination of these factors.
3) Malnutrition refers to undernutrition caused by unbalanced diets, including with or without low intake of micronutrient-rich foods.
The Index scores countries or regions using these four factors:
· Undernourishment (measures inadequate food supply)
· Child wasting (the share of children under the age of 5 who have low weight for their age, reflecting acute undernutrition
· Child stunting (the share of children under 5 who have low height for the age, reflecting chronic undernutrition)
· Child mortality (the mortality rate for children under 5, a reflection of the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments)
Out of 135 countries assessed for 2021, 116 had sufficient data to calculate the GHI’s “Severity Scale”.
The scores are categorized as having Low, Moderate, Serious, Alarming and Extremely Alarming hunger in the country. For 2021:
· 37 countries scored as Serious, (with 6 countries having insufficient data for provisional scores, which put them in the Serious Category.
· 9 countries scored as Alarming.
· 1 (Somalia) scored as Extremely Alarming, with Burundi, Comoros, South Sudan and the Syrian Arab Republic scoring just a few points away from Extremely Alarming.
Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) calls the work it does to feed “God’s kids who are hungry in body and spirit” its “heartbeat.”
Since 2009, it has sent food to 108 countries:
· Africa (39 countries)
· Asia (16 countries)
· Caribbean (14 countries)
· Europe (10 countries)
· Middle East (10 countries)
· North and Central America (10 countries)
· Other/Multiple Countries (1 country)
· South America (8 countries)
As FMSC states, “Hope begins with nutritious food” and it provides this hope in the name of Jesus. Nutrition allows children to “grow, thrive and develop their full potential so that they can become productive members of the communities”. FMSC provides nutrition through three MannaPack® meal formulas developed by food science and nutrition professionals to supplement nutritional needs and reduce problems with malnutrition. The MannaPack® are:
· MannaPack Rice: FMSC’s first and original food formula, it is an excellent source of protein, carbohydrates and key nutrients culturally acceptable worldwide for anyone over the age of one.
· MannaPack Potato-D was created to help those suffering from diarrhea and is a fortified potato and soy meal formula that complements oral rehydration and assists in replenishing lost nutrients.
· MannaPack Potato-W was developed specifically as a weaning food to meet the nutrition needs of children 7-12 months old. It complements breast feeding and acts as a crucial supplement for children whose mothers don’t have access to the vital nutrition their babies need to grow and develop.
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