(ANS - Madrid) – Two international events closely related to each other are celebrated this week: today, 16 October, is World Food Day, tomorrow is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Both are promoted by the UN.

Hunger and poverty go hand in hand. The fact that every day about 25,000 people die from hunger is something that we cannot and should not ignore. To these must be added the 815 million people living in a state of malnutrition. Nowadays, images of starving children in Ethiopia no longer come into our homes on the television news. They have simply ceased to be news because we have become so accustomed to them.

Yet the data of the last report prepared by the FAO are clear: 165 million children - that is, one in four children under the age of 5 years - are malnourished and will never reach their potential physical and cognitive development. On the other hand, 1.4 billion people are overweight and a third of them obese - two painful images of a world deeply divided.

"Educating a hungry child or young person is like trying to pour water into a can that is full of holes. So says the Salesian missionary Fr Carlos Gonçalo, referring to his experience in Cape Verde. The children come to school without breakfast. On Monday many of them have been fasting for 48 hours. It is quite common to see them becoming weak in class. They fall asleep or are unable to assimilate even basic knowledge. In this situation, the nutritional support that we offer in our school is vital. Without it, our work would not make sense. "

The Salesian Mission Office in Madrid firmly believes in the education of children and youth as the engine of social change, but also knows that no one can change the world on an empty stomach. It is for this reason that the majority of schools and training centres on the Salesian missions also have a canteen that provides at least one meal a day for the students.

On World Food Day and  the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid asks the international community to strengthen the fight against food waste that occurs in most developed countries.

Published 16/10/2013