More on our Lenten meat fast

At David Creech's suggestion, many of us ELCA World Hunger staff have gone vegetarian for Lent. (He explains why in previous posts, like yesterday's.) Admittedly, I'm on the "vegetarian lite" plan - only abstaining from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays. But even so, and even only a week into it, the experience has been educational for me.

I've never attempted to be vegetarian, but nor am I especially carnivorous. In fact, I find nothing appetizing about a steak or a roast; big slabs of meat kind of gross me out. At the same time, I really like most vegetables. I eat vegetarian meals regularly, though not exclusively, simply out of preference. So I didn't think skipping meat two days a week would be particularly difficult - or even different - and I liked the reasons for doing it. I agreed to participate without hesitation.

And this is where the role of meat in my life and culture began asserting itself. I myself had no hesitation about an experiment in vegetarianism. Not so my family. I am the primary meal-maker in the house, and there was swift resistance to the idea of several weeks of a vegetarian menu. Not keen on preparing different food for myself and them, we agreed on the two-day-a-week plan. Lesson one: there is social pressure for me to eat meat, even in my own home. Or maybe especially there, since unlike a restaurant, we don't each get exactly what we want every meal. My choices are tied to the choices of others.

I'm also learning that meat can be difficult to avoid. Compared to much of the world, meat here is cheap and plentiful, and therefore ubiquitous. It is on offer everywhere I go, and often, it's no more expensive than non-meat choices. Last Wednesday, I consciously looked for vegetarian choices on a menu and discovered that there weren't many. Lesson two: meaty meals can be easier to obtain than vegetarian ones. There's a cultural expectation and incentive to eat meat every day.

Then there's the challenge of remembering what day it is. It was sheer luck that I didn't eat meat yesterday. At lunchtime, I opened the refrigerator and saw some leftover soup. I considered it, but decided that a leftover beet burger sounded better, so I had that instead. It wasn't until I started thinking about dinner that I realized it was Wednesday and I almost ate Southwestern Chicken soup for lunch. Lesson three: when you live surrounded by a wide variety of plentiful food, it's easy to be careless about what you eat.

All of this awareness in only a week! It'll be interesting to see what else we learn - both individually and as a group - by the time Easter rolls around.

-Nancy Michaelis

War and Hunger in Gaza - and Elsewhere

As an organization that defines hunger broadly, ELCA World Hunger is concerned with the many root causes of hunger. One of these root causes is, of course, war. And the current situation is Gaza is especially poignant for anyone who wants to explain how war causes hunger. It is demonstrating so many of the effects in such a short period of time.

In perusing the news coverage, I found this page today on the BBC Web site. It provides a summary of several of the problems in just one page. Getting food is the most direct hunger issue. People are running out of food in their homes, warehouses that store food are too dangerous to access, distribution paths are disrupted, bakeries lack cooking gas to make food, outside food can't cross the borders in sufficient quantities, and the price of the food that is available continues to rise.

Beyond the food itself, energy supplies have been interrupted, which means that people don't have the electricity or gas to cook, even if they have the food. More problematic, water is running short as the pumps at wells run out of fuel to lift the water from the ground. In addition, lack of power has halted the pumps at wastewater treatment plants, causing sewage to flood neighborhoods, farmland, and sea.

Those are just some of the immediate problems caused by war. The longer-term issues are just as grave. On this page, a woman mentions that local farmers have not been able to harvest their crops for two weeks. Depending how long the fighting continues and how much damage is done to the crops, war can destroy food supplies for a whole season as well as the livelihoods of those who are employed in the local food system. Damage to the fields and soil can destroy that chain for longer than a season. In addition, damage to other infrastructure - roads, businesses, government buildings - can interrupt livelihoods and basic services in many sectors, and for a place like Gaza that doesn't have a lot of wealth and assets to start with, recovery can be a long road even in the best of circumstances. And none of this even addresses the loss of life - often working age men who provide income for their families.

Gaza is the location grabbing headlines at the moment, but the factors are similar in every war. So until war ends everywhere, as people engaged in the fight against hunger, the trick is to not grow weary of long-lasting wars, or to forget them as soon as they're over, but to keep on fighting for those affected and for a different future. Ironic, the wording, no?

-Nancy Michaelis

ELCA on the Travel Channel

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is currently running two ads on the Travel Channel. You can view them here. According to the ELCA News Service:

"'We hope that through television, billboards and printmedia, members of the
ELCA will be equipped to own and tell this church's story, the story of what God
is doing in us and through us for the sake of the world,' Bangert said."

We in ELCA World Hunger especially like these two ads because in addition to telling what it means to be Lutheran, they also demonstrate that there are many ways to approach the problem of hunger. Again, from the ELCA News Service:

"One television spot -- "Hope" -- shows a woman quizzing her daughter as they
walk along a road near Yeumbeul, Senegal. It highlights Senegal Lutheran
Mission, which teaches women how to start their own businesses.

The other spot -- "Dignity" -- opens with workers setting tables in a fancy
restaurant. The "restaurant" is actually Trinity Lutheran Church, Bismarck,
N.D., and volunteers are preparing a banquet for homeless neighbors."

I've written before about the importance of girls education to reducing poverty and hunger. Teaching women how to start their own businesses falls along the same lines and addresses the 3rd Millennium Development Goal: Promote gender equality and empower women. Poverty is disproportionately prevalent among female-headed households. In many places, patriarchal societies make it difficult for women to own property, find work, or participate in decisions that effect them. Thus marginalized, they lack the means to provide for themselves or their children.

On the other hand, women who are able to earn their own incomes have more choices and greater ability to lift themselves out of poverty. What's more, this ability typically spills over to their children. Educated women are better positioned to tend to their children's health and educational needs, thus raising a future generation that is also healthier and more skilled. Beyond education, women with their own income have greater access to resources, and more power in their communities. The work the ELCA is doing in Senegal and other places to help women start their own businesses is critically important to ending hunger.

The ad about serving a meal to homeless neighbors is another part of the fight to end hunger. Education is critically important, but when you're hungry right now, simply eating is top priority. Without adequate food and nutrition, people are more vulnerable to illness, lack the calories to physically move through the day, and are less able to concentrate. Is it any wonder that hungry people are unable to work and, without work, unable to pay for shelter? In such cases, food aid is just as important as longer-term solutions like education. Again, the work of the ELCA is critically important to ending hunger.

It's a lot to think about during that next commercial break.

-Nancy Michaelis

How are you and your state doing?

We all know that poverty is inextricably linked to hunger. Amoung other things, people living in poverty have less access to health care and education, both of which affect a person's ability to get and keep a job. And as we all know, different states - and regions within a state - fare differently on the poverty scale. But did you ever wonder exactly how your state or area fare? Or even you as an individual?

Check out www.measureofamerica.org. Interactive maps let you look at different areas of the United States, and the "Well-O-Meter" will let you plot your own place on the American Human Development Index.

And if you find you aren't satisfied with the results, consider ways to tell your elected politicians about the changes you'd like to see. One place to start is www.elca.org/advocacy.

-Nancy Michaelis

Disaster in Haiti, Both Natural and Man-made

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about how natural disasters contribute to hunger, and how those living at or near poverty are disproportionately vulnerable. Following that line of thought, it's hard to imagine how things could get much worse in Haiti. First they were hit by Tropical Storm Fay. Hurricanes Gustav and Hanna followed, and Ike now threatens. According to the BBC, 200 people have been killed by these storms so far, tens of thousands have been displaced, and hundreds of thousands need assistance. And it's not just minor assistance. The same BBC article says 200,000 in the city of Gonaives have not eaten in three days and potable water is hard to find. And as one would expect, homes and livelihoods have been destroyed. But perhaps the biggest problem is that few in Haiti have the resources to really do anything about it.

Such an onslaught of natural disaster would be difficult for the people and government of any country to bear, but in a place like Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, it's especially devastating. Already struggling with extreme poverty, hunger, and rising food prices, the people of Haiti rioted earlier this year and threw out their prime minister. Now, with the hurricanes, rice crops have been destroyed and fruit trees have been blown down, an especially large problem in a place where two-thirds of the population are involved in agriculture. The loss of crops can only add to the long-term suffering, hunger, and political instability.

The short-term is no better. With thousands displaced and no food to be found, Haiti's government is ill-equipped to help its people. With such a poor economy, infrastructure like roads and communication systems weren't great before the storms. Wind and water damage have made them even worse, hampering aid efforts and posing longer-term challenges for rebuilding. What's more, poverty has led to deforestation in Haiti, exposing soil which is now washing away in mudslides. Besides the immediate danger caused by mudslides, there are future ramifications: loss of topsoil, reduction in vegetation, and long-term degradation of the environment.

In a place where poverty is so widespread and the government so uncertain, it's hard to imagine how Haiti will recover. Certainly we Western countries have a role to play, both in the immediate, urgent need for food and water, and also in assisting with lasting, sustainable changes.

In the meantime, if you're looking for a case study on the causes of hunger, read up on Haiti. It highlights several factors, including: a history of corrupt, unstable, and ineffective governments; an insufficient and inaccessible education system; lack of employment opportunities; poor infrastructure; a degrading environment; and a susceptibility to natural disasters in the form of hurricanes. It's not a comprehensive list, but it's a frighteningly good start.

Back to School

In my neighborhood, the school buses are back on the roads in full force during my morning commute. School has begun again, and while the girl in the house next to me says she would prefer a bit more summer vacation, she is incredibly lucky to be going to school.

Education is a key factor in preventing poverty and hunger, and yet so many children in the world - especially girls - are not able to attend school. In fact, The World Bank's Web site goes so far as to say, "The World Bank has recognized that there is no investment more effective for achieving development goals than educating girls."

There are many reasons. Perhaps one of the most important is that an eduated woman applies her knowledge to caring for her family, so the whole family benefits. Educated women tend to have fewer children with better spacing between them, allowing more time to recover between pregnancies, and less stress on resources like food and household income. What's more, the whole family tends to stay healthier, as educated women apply their knowledge about hygiene, nutrition, and disease prevention and treatment. Educated woman are also more likely to demand education for their children, improving the possibilities for their futures.

But the health of the family is not the only benefit. Obviously, a good education has potential for improving household income. Educated women are more likely to qualify for higher paying jobs, which opens the door for higher levels of food security, healthcare, education, community participation, and fulfillment. Similarly, educated women are more likely to participate in community politics, thereby affecting policy and societal structures.

Yet for all the benefits, many girls are unable to attend school. According to the same World Bank Web site,

"Worldwide, for every 100 boys out-of-school there are 132 girls. In some countries the gender gap is much wider. For example, for every 100 boys out of school in Yemen there are 270 girls, in Iraq 316 girls, in India 426 girls, and in Benin 257 girls (UNESCO GMR, 2007)."

The good news is that rates of education for all children - boys and girls - have been improving for many years. And ELCA World Hunger has been part of it. ELCA World Hunger dollars support education programs all over the world, including Egypt, India, Kenya, Peru, and Laos.

So as the children in your neighborhood return to school this fall, consider the children in other places that don't have such easy access to education. Consider helping them with a gift to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal or other organization of your choice.

Too much water - and other disasters

I was looking at pictures of flooded Iowa today and was awestruck by the destructive power of too much water. I've blogged about how important water is to life. But it's amazing how you can have too much of a good thing. So much land completely under water, killing the crops and destroying livelihoods. Between floods, tornadoes, and wildfires, it's been a rough month or two in the United States.

How many people's lives have been altered by nature in the past couple of months? And how many of them have the means to recover? Some are insured, have savings, and other support structures. Reconstructing their fractured lives will be difficult and emotional, to be sure, but largely a matter of time. But those living at or near poverty before disaster struck are facing a whole different reality. Disasters destroy homes, leaving some with nowhere to live. Disasters close businesses, sometimes permanently, causing loss of employment and income. Disasters interrupt health care treatment, making it difficult (or impossible) to tackle the work of recovering. Disaster interrupt education. For those who were struggling to stay in school in the first place, it can be difficult to go back. In the short term, disaster can destroy local food supplies and roadways, making short term hunger very real for everyone. But longer term, especially in rural areas, those who relied on gardens for even some of their food face new and unwelcome challenges.

The list of ways that natural disasters exacerbate the conditions for hunger and poverty go on; I've mentioned just a few. Knowing how many disasters the United States has had already this year, I wonder what the longer-term effect will be. How many who were living on the edge of poverty will now be solidly in it? The U.S. Census Bureau provides annual data about poverty in this country. It will be interesting to see how 2008 compares to 2007.

The solution lies within the problem

I did a Web search recently, typing in phrases like “definition of hunger.” It was interesting in the vast worldwide Web the lack of coherent information I found on such a broad topic. I received the obligatory links to Merriam-Webster.com and other encyclopedic or dictionary-based sites, but only one source (at quick glance) led me past a one- or two-line description of what hunger is.

I discovered a report entitled “The Concept and Definition of Hunger and Its Relationship to Food Insecurity” by David H. Holben, PhD, RD, LD on the Web site of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The NAS is an honor society of distinguished scholars—many of whom are Nobel Prize winners—doing scientific and engineering research to increase our general welfare. It was born during the Civil War and signed into existence by President Lincoln with the Act of Incorporation. Its research is valued so highly by the U.S. government that Congress and the White House have issued legislation and executive orders to reaffirm its unique role.

This report cites such definitions of hunger as “the uneasy or painful sensation caused by a lack of food” or “the recurrent and involuntary lack of access to food.” These definitions are not groundbreaking. But what strikes me is the lesser-discussed definition of hunger within the circles we walk: “a strong desire for something.”

Sometimes the solution lies within the problem.

Making the news again lately are the dirt cookies that people in Haiti eat because of the rising cost of food and people’s growing inability to afford it, turning to government protest and acts of desperation. So what is it in us that hungers to combat this problem? If we have a “strong desire” to end world hunger, then we cannot help but be hungry ourselves: hungry for justice, hungry for socioeconomic changes, hungry for progress in the movement to end world hunger once and for all!

Among those who work to end this pandemic, it is a fine line to walk to say we, too, should be “hungry.” But if we aren’t, then the people we advocate for will be.

--Aaron Cooper is Writer-Editor for ELCA World Hunger

Scandalous!

I’m in Wausau, Wisconsin where I’ve had the great pleasure of hearing Pastor Lisandro Orlov speak today. Pastor Lisandro is from Argentina and is the Latin American regional coordinator for the Lutheran World Federation HIV/AIDS campaign. He said a lot of intriguing and challenging things about the relationship between the church and those in the world who are stigmatized and excluded. A few statements, in particular, really stood out for me. These aren’t exact quotes, but they are close:

• Be more than the boundary established in your culture.
  
• My job each Sunday is to scandalize my parish.
  
• Be a sanctuary for the dignity of all people.

Pastor Lisandro was emphasizing that living the Gospel is not easy. It can mean walking with people and in places that are unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and sometimes unacceptable to people around you. But it’s also incredibly important, enriching, and ultimately just.

I love these ideas and how they relate to our work in World Hunger. Building relationships with those who live in poverty is not particularly comfortable to many of us who live in relative wealth. But our lives are enriched through such relationships. And a mutual, real understanding of each other is critical for building the trust and structures and processes necessary for ending poverty. We also need to get more people involved. To get the attention and support we need to make real changes, we often have to push others out of their comfort zones, too. Sometimes, we must speak truth to power, which is not easy or safe. But in doing these difficult things, what if we, by our actions, become a sanctuary for the dignity of all people? Picture that: sanctuary for the dignity of all people. I can’t imagine a better legacy for a life, or a better display of the divine.

The Road Untravelable

This winter has been brutal for the roads in Chicago. Huge temperature swings and plenty of snow and ice are crumbling the concrete. My commute to work has become an obstacle course of potholes. There are two strategies for navigating the course: 1) slow down and drive through the potholes, hoping you're not causing too much damage to your suspension and tires, or 2) slow down and weave around - in your lane and out of it - to avoid hitting them. In the end, you do both, and so does everyone else. The main results are that it takes longer to get anywhere, and all the swerving makes driving scarier than usual. I'm guessing the mechanics are doing a better business than usual, too.

Winter-ravaged roads are a great illustration of their importance. If you don't have good roads, life is harder. Poor road conditions mean it's difficult to receive or send goods. Remote villages the world over experience poverty and hunger, partly due to the roads. When roads are badly rutted, frequently muddy, washed out, or in some other form of disrepair, vehicles trying to pass will have to go slowly and are likely to sustain damage. If you're a business person trying to deliver goods, you'll have to raise your prices to compensate for the time, fuel, and maintenance costs. Schedules may be irregular depending on when you can get through and how long it takes. If the goods being delivered are perishable, and if delivery schedules are dependent on road conditions and whether or not a truck breaks down, villagers may face perpetual shortages. And to top it all off, once the goods arrive, villagers may not be able to afford them. The suppliers must raise prices to cover their transportation costs, which may make the items too expensive for the small incomes of remote villagers. If suppliers are unable to sell their goods, they are likely to stop coming altogether.

This road is a two-way street (a little infrastructure humor, there). The transportation challenges are true for the villager trying to sell outside the village, too. The costs required to get goods or people to other markets may raise prices to such a degree that the villager can't compete. The remote village is cut off from larger markets that can increase incomes, create jobs, and improve standards of living. Poverty and hunger become more common.

All of this about roads, and they are only one aspect of infrastructure! It still amazes me, sometimes, how many factors contribute to poverty and hunger. But if there's a bright side, it's that all these factors mean there are lots of ways to approach solutions, too.

$35.9 BILLION spent on pets. Seriously!

Talk about an affluent society! According to the February 4th edition of Time Magazine, Americans spent $35.9 billion on their pets in 2005. $35.9 billion! I contributed to that, and I don't even own a pet! (My brother-in-law's dogs get Christmas presents, too.)

I've got nothing against pets. I can understand that Fluffy has an important place in the family, and deserves to be fed and vaccinated. It's just that, so do people. My point is simply this: If we can fork out $35.9 billion for our pets - just one category of discretionary spending - can't we do better in making sure everyone has enough to eat? And if so many of us are willing to take on the responsibility of caring for pets (and, boy, are we willing!), can't we do the same for people?

Just think about it. If Americans gave as much money to one poverty-fighting group (may I suggest the ELCA World Hunger Appeal?) as they spent on their pets in a year, it would create an organization nearly the size of the Gates Foundation. Think what we could accomplish...

There's no fatuity in freerice.com

The first thing you have to know about me is that I love words. So it's no surprise that I'm taken with a Web site that combines vocabulary and donating food. But if you look at the numbers and the press, I'm clearly not the only one who think's Free Rice is pretty cool.

Free Rice is a site that quizzes you on vocabulary. (I learned "fatuity" today!)Each time you select the correct definition of a word, 20 grains of rice are donated to countries in need through the United Nations World Food Programme. Little pictures show the amount of rice you've earned growing in a bowl, and as you gain more, it moves to the side in bundles. In addition to tracking your rice donation, it also gives you a vocabulary score. The words it presents get harder the better you do, and your score goes up and down depending on your performance.

Well. It didn't take long for me to get sucked into this game. And I took a coworker down with me! It's a surprisingly effective time-eater (your employer will love it)! My coworker and I ended up competing. His strategy was speed - answer quickly and earn rice. But loving words as I do, I couldn't bear to not at least try to get the answers right. It slowed me down, so he won the donation competition. But I got a higher vocabulary score, so I could at least feel smarter! :-)

Anyway, it's fun and I recommend it. If you want to know more about it in general, NPR did a short piece. And apparently if you're preparing for the SAT's, you really shouldn't miss it. Have fun!

Hunger resources to feed the soul during Lent

Hi, folks! My first post on "Hunger Rumblings" is very practical in nature, as it's time to order resources for Lent, as Ash Wednesday is February 6. Help your congregation, Sunday School class, circle, committee or other group "take on" for Lent...a journey to feed the soul to gain courage and commitment to feed the hungry. Blessings on your heads! Sue-s

1. ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal's "God's Math" 40-day plus calendar and coin box.
40-day calendar: Free. ISBN 978-6-0002-2015-0; 1 pkg=25 calendars.
Coin box: Free. ISBN 978-6-0002-2004-2; 1 pkg=25 boxes.
Request these and other ELCA World Hunger materials by calling Augsburg Fortress at 800/328-4648, visiting the online store at www.augsburgfortress.org/elcahunger, or by visiting www.elca.org/hunger/resources

2. The ELCA World Hunger Lenten Fellowship Leader's Guide, pp. 7--11 of the Advent 2007--Easter 2008 edition of ELCA World Hunger Congregation Connections. Find these pages online at http://www.elca.org/hunger/resources/hungerguide.html or request a free copy of Congregation Connections (ISBN 978-6-0002-2013-6) by calling 800/328-4648 or by visiting the online store at www.augsburgfortress.org/elcahunger

3. Order Eco-palms by February 20 for Palm/Passion Sunday.
Visit www.lwr.org/palms to order.

4. Sign up and receive daily environmental Lenten devotions online.
Subscribe to the ELCA's daily 2008 environmental Lentenreflections, "Living Earth: A 40-Day Reflection on OurRelationship With God's Creation" at www.elca.org/advocacy
This is a limited subscription; the first e-mail will arrive onAsh Wednesday and the last e-mail will arrive Easter Sunday.