International (MNN) — The global food crisis is impacting children and families
involved in Compassion International's child sponsorship programs.
Prices of staple foods have doubled in the last year,
forcing families that live on $1 a day to spend at least 80 percent of their
budgets on food. As a result, many go
hungry. 2 billion of the world's 6.7
billion people live on less than $2 a day.
The World Food Programm calls the crisis a "silent
tsunami" and says it may plunge 100 million more people on each continent into
hunger. Over 800 million people are
currently at risk for starvation.
Rising fuel costs, the growth of biofuels, the exploding
populations of India and China, and crop
damage from natural disasters have all contributed to an 80 percent increase in
food prices since 2005. Compassion
families in many countries, especially in Bangladesh
and Haiti,
are suffering as a result.
In Bangladesh,
Compassion supports 82 child-development centers, which serve more than 12,000
children. 90 percent of these children
are severely affected by the global food crisis, and many of these children
receive the only food they ever get at the church-based center.
In Haiti,
226 Compassion centers serve 60,800 children. 70 percent of Haiti's
population lives on less than $2 a day. Compassion Haiti
estimates that it will need 2-6 million dollars to feed all of the
children and their families over the next few months. For just $13, you can feed a child for a
month.
In the face of this crisis, Compassion is asking its
supporters to participate in a day of prayer and fasting on Wednesday, June
25.
"Prayer is the greatest action you can take in combating this
unfortunate event," said Mark Hanlon, senior vice president-USA
at Compassion International. "Most people don't know what to do in the
face of such a significant global crisis. We are encouraging people to start
with prayer. That's why we're inviting all of our U.S. sponsors, donors, advocates
and staff to ever so briefly and symbolically enter into the suffering of our
brothers and sisters worldwide and join in on this corporate effort."
