USA (MNN) — One in two children
lives in poverty around the world. According to UNICEF, of those children in this
group, 25,000 die each day due to poverty. Many of them die invisibly because the living are
struggling to stay alive.
The statistics read grimly–640
million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe
water, and 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in
2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day).
121 million children around the
world cannot go to school. The lack of
education ensures they stay in poverty, repeating a vicious cycle. The problem looms large, and it seems as if there is no escape. Hundreds of millions of dollars go to programs to help meet the needs,
but is it even a drop in the bucket?
Judy Davis, an advocate
for Food For the Hungry, says talking
about the problems in big numbers overwhelms people into apathy. "When people start to think about one
child, one heart, making a difference to that one person, then it becomes
manageable."
Bringing the solution to one face
and one name not only changes the child from a number, it gives the child a
chance.
It is her job, as an advocate, to
tame the global size of the problem and present it as a problem with a
solution. The equation is Food For The
Hungry's programs, and the solution is you.
Davis encourages people like you to
get involved not only on a financial level, but also a personal one and a
spiritual one, as well. "When you
have the chance to live and walk the walk that Jesus has laid out there for us,
many times–without ever speaking a word of the Gospel–we can share and show
the love of Christ."
Food for the Hungry's Community to Community
(C2C) partnership is a relationship between a community in the developing world
and an American church. By getting personally involved with the poor, churches
are able to work toward lasting change within the context of a strong
relationship. FH strives to facilitate true transformation for both the
American church and the international partner community.
Davis says it started out as "speaking
for those who cannot speak for themselves" (Prov 31:8). By making a child sponsorship presentation at
your small group, Sunday School class or church, you can both raise awareness
and encourage action.
Davis also encourages churches to
respond to God's call to "do justice, love mercy and walk humbly" (Micah 6:8)
by hosting a 6:8 Sunday. By helping get kids sponsored, you can
make a lasting difference in the lives of children and communities all over the
world
More than advocacy, Food For the
Hungry needs your help. You can check out details here. One final
thought from Davis: "What I would like to do is just challenge the people to walk, to
listen and to learn about people living in poverty and cruel,
harsh circumstances; to see their beauty and accept the challenge to make a
difference in the life of a child and be changed in the process."
