World Food Day: October 16th

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations celebrates World Food Day each year on 16 October, the day on which the Organization was founded in 1945.

The objectives of World Food Day are to:
- encourage attention to agricultural food production
- encourage economic and technical cooperation among developing countries
- encourage the participation of rural people, particularly women and the least privileged categories, in decisions and activities influencing their living conditions
- heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world
- promote the transfer of technologies to the developing world
- strengthen international and national solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty

Price swings, upswings in particular, represent a major threat to food security in developing countries. Hardest-hit are the poor. According to the World Bank, in 2010-2011 rising food costs pushed nearly 70 million people into extreme poverty.

“FOOD PRICES – FROM CRISIS TO STABILITY” has been chosen as this year’s World Food Day theme to shed some light on this trend and what can be done to mitigate its impact on the most vulnerable.

On World Food Day 2011, let us reflect seriously at what causes swings in food prices, and articulate alternatives on what needs to be done at national, regional and global levels to reduce the impact on almost a billion people who do not have enough to eat.

Following is a link for your kids: TWENTY GRAINS OF RICE-World Food Hunger Program.

Using the internet children can donate 20 grains of rice to the WORLD FOOD HUNGER PROGRAM!  If your child has access to a computer and the Internet, introduce him/her to the idea. This Web site offers an English multiple-choice vocabulary test. For each word defined correctly, 20 grains of rice are donated through the United Nations World Food Program to help end hunger. To date over 66 Billion grains have been donated!!!!

Some ideas for crafts to make:
- Make a collage or a special place mat by cutting out pictures of food from magazines.
- Make necklaces out of colored noodles.
- Use clay or play dough and try to make various food.
- Print out and color some of these food related pages.
- Try out some of these cooking and food related crafts

Other things for your kids to do:
- Ask different people what their favorite food is.
- Find out more about which foods originated in different parts of the world.
- Make foods from different cultures to try.
- Set up a dramatic play area to depict a restaurant.
- Take a field trip to a restaurant.

Becoming involved in addressing real-world problems is a great way to boost your child’s self-esteem. He/She’ll know (s)he has made a difference in the lives of people (s)he may never meet.