World hunger and poverty facts

Famine is, as Ireland’s President Higgins put it, “the greatest ethical failure of the current global system”. In its latest report on food insecurity, the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) estimates that 868 million people are starving, and that infant malnutrition is a cause of death for more than 2.5 million children every year."

“It means that one in eight people do not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life,” World Food Programme

Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not being able to go to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom, World Bank Organization.

Absolute poverty refers to the lack of sufficient resources necessary to meet basic needs such as food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education, and information. There are 734 million people living in extreme poverty.

“Fundamentally, poverty is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on which to grow one’s food or a job to earn one’s living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living on marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation”, UN, June 1998.