“To a hungry man, a piece of bread is the face of God”
(Mahatma Gandhi).
Jane Badham, a freelance nutrition consultant, wrote in 2011 at https://www.hunger-undernutrition.org
.. my mind is flooded with the tragic images we are seeing in the media and across the social networks of the suffering and death in the Horn of Africa due to what is being described as the greatest humanitarian crisis that the world has even known. The pictures show people, like a line of ants, walking across a dustbowl, in the hope of finding help, of finding food. We hear endless stories of those who have walked weeks to escape the ‘famine zone’ and who have had not one but numerous family members die en route. Yet this crisis hasn’t garnered the same rapid response and outpouring that we see when there is a tsunami or earthquake – it almost passed us by, but only when the images were reminiscent of the 1985 Ethiopian starvation horrors, did the world seem to wake up and declare what is happening as intolerable. Source:She continues about starvation.
https://www.hunger-undernutrition.org/blog/2011/08/we-have-to-tackle-hunger-in-all-its-forms-to-a-hungry-man-a-piece-of-bread-is-the-face-of-god-mahatm.html
Famine should be declared when 30% of children are acutely malnourished, 20% of the populationis without food, and deaths are running at two per 10,000 adults or four per 10,000 children everyday. We forget that each death has a face and a family. The figures show that in areas of Somalia, almost a third of the total population, are acutely malnourished.While she defines malnutrition as a poor overall quality of nutrition, she exposes another deadly face behind this phenomena.
Likewise we also have a definition for hidden hunger - micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) deficiency in a person’s diet. The estimates are that some 2 billion people suffer from hidden hunger. These individuals may eat enough calories to live, but have a basic diet that fails to provide sufficient levels of crucial vitamins and minerals that allows them to be mentally and physically healthy. These individuals also have faces and families…
Al Jazeera published the following news coverage of poverty the following year. I never imagined that children in their act of desperation had to resort to picking seeds from cow dung to appease their hunger until I saw this video.
I remember watching a video of starving people in the African continent having to make a paste out of earth, bake it and eat it. I saw another video of the hungry in Philipines who picked up waste food from the public rubbish bins, bring them home, wash it, add spices and salt and recook it to feed their families. They also sold them to other hungry customers. My friend told me of an incident he came across in the seventies in the heart of Kuala Lumpur city, in the back lanes to be more specific, holding out a tray as he collected the discharge wastewater and food remnants as the plates were being washed in a restaurant up front. When my friend questioned him, he replied that he would go home, wash the rice that came along from the wash basin at the eatery and recook it.
When we began to enter the homes of those who we were giving groceries to at the PPR flats, another rather pathetic face emerged and was exposed to us. We did not realize the plight of these PPR householders until we began to talk to them. Now we can relate to the above video.
Agathiyar is showing us the complexities of life. Just as a child is shown going to bed hungry in the video, the granny at a household here puts her grandchildren to bed early so that they do not complain of hunger. We only realized this when we cooked food and had Sugumaran knock their door on the way to work that day at 8pm. The house was pitch dark. Upon knocking on the door several times, grandma shows up. When Sugu questioned why their home was dark as it was only 8pm, she gave him this answer. Vintha shares the same story too at this PPR flats when her family members encountered a similar scenario. As is revealed in the video paying rent is a more pressing concern for them. Many have missed making payments that had accumulated to several months, and fear that they would have to move out. The children here are constantly sick. We saw a child who appeared stunted for their age, but Dr Jana suspected that she could have been born small. Her mother confirmed that she was merely a kilo and a half at birth.
Pothigai Dharma Chakra (PTC), another charitable organization extended a helping hand in feeding the schoolchildren who had to stay back for extra classes in a couple of schools. Sadly the school management became dependant on this group rather than take the initial cue from them, bringing the Parent Teachers Association in and the parents who walked by indifferent to the activity going on. None stopped by to inquire what was going on, as we fed the kids.
Tavayogi did the right thing in squatting in a locality where there were numerous native children. Soon he served cooked food to these families. The native's only source of income was from selling the firewood collected in the jungles of Kallar.
Agathiyar is showing us the complexities of life. Just as a child is shown going to bed hungry in the video, the granny at a household here puts her grandchildren to bed early so that they do not complain of hunger. We only realized this when we cooked food and had Sugumaran knock their door on the way to work that day at 8pm. The house was pitch dark. Upon knocking on the door several times, grandma shows up. When Sugu questioned why their home was dark as it was only 8pm, she gave him this answer. Vintha shares the same story too at this PPR flats when her family members encountered a similar scenario. As is revealed in the video paying rent is a more pressing concern for them. Many have missed making payments that had accumulated to several months, and fear that they would have to move out. The children here are constantly sick. We saw a child who appeared stunted for their age, but Dr Jana suspected that she could have been born small. Her mother confirmed that she was merely a kilo and a half at birth.
Pothigai Dharma Chakra (PTC), another charitable organization extended a helping hand in feeding the schoolchildren who had to stay back for extra classes in a couple of schools. Sadly the school management became dependant on this group rather than take the initial cue from them, bringing the Parent Teachers Association in and the parents who walked by indifferent to the activity going on. None stopped by to inquire what was going on, as we fed the kids.
Tavayogi did the right thing in squatting in a locality where there were numerous native children. Soon he served cooked food to these families. The native's only source of income was from selling the firewood collected in the jungles of Kallar.
When we followed in his footsteps and that of Sri Krishna of PTC, in feeding the hungry in Malaysia, we realized the same reason, as mentioned in the video, was given by the tenants at the PPR housing scheme as to why they were not going to the hospitals for treatment of their chronic ailments. That is time and money they cannot afford. They tell us they have no transport, hailing a cab will cause money which they don't have, and they cannot afford to spend the long hours waiting to be seen by the doctor as they had family members who were bedridden or young kids let loose back at home.
We at Persatuan Teman Setia (PTS) only provide food and groceries to these homes, the mentally challenged children and old folk homes. We do not help out with long term commitments and expenses such as rentals and utility bills. As mentioned in the video we never give money to them because we don't know how it is being used. A family in another locality used the money we gave them for groceries to make payment for a utility bill that she felt was more pressing, defeating its purpose.
Eradicating poverty needs the concerted effort of the government. But it is sad that it is treated or given the least priority among their many programs here as elsewhere too.
Jane Badham wrote,
Key is the need for real political will and commitment, which many agree is lacking in many of the most affected countries.She also shows us a direction.
And just as governments have to show willingness and be committed and be held accountable, the time has come for those of us working in nutrition, agriculture and development, to break down the silos in which we have traditionally functioned and to build meaningful partnerships across multiple cross-cutting disciplines. We need direct nutrition interventions such as the promotion of ante-natal nutrition and exclusive breastfeeding as well as improved complementary feeding, food fortification and public-private partnerships that deliver affordable nutritious options to the neglected at the bottom of the pyramid. We also need nutrition and gender sensitive investments across agriculture, health, social protection and education.
The sad state of affairs at these homes is that the men are never seen or around and the responsibility of feeding and taking care of their needs falls squarely on the shoulders of grannies and single mothers.
Just as Dr Siddharth Agarwal mentions in the video, we need to bring aid including medical aid into these homes to overcome the sufferings of the unfortunate,
It is difficult for the women and children to go out to the health centres, which are quite distant if they did they would end up wasting at least 3 to 4 hours. So if we are able to bring these (medical) camps to them then a greater number of women and children will be availing of these services,towards this, the government had introduced clinics manned by hospital assistants and nurses who provide very basic medical care and medicines in shop lots accessible to all, supplementing the numerous larger clinics at strategic areas and even larger nucleus hospitals that have begun to specialize in a particular area of medicine.
The sad thing about us is that we can look away and ignore this group because we are told that each one lives his fate out. They are fated. It is their karma. Let them go through it. Saying thus we walk away ignoring their hunger, thirst and plight. But just as Agathiyar fills us in on our karma, he brings solutions and deliverance in the form of remedies. He does not just leave us to live with it but tries his best to elevate us saving us from the mess we are in. So should not we then do our part to elevate these unfortunate souls by providing aid to them in their hour of need. Maybe the small contributions we make can go towards changing their fate bringing them a new destiny.
Each time we stand at the doorway of a particular PPR household where there are many children, they cheer us on seeing us and immediately run up to us and give us a hug, asking if we would be coming again, when are we coming next or request us to come the next day too.
A government official, when told about the pitiful conditions in which they were living in, quickly, pointed out to me if I had noticed the cable TV and latest smartphone in their homes. I told them we vet through the families before giving aid. As Dr Siddharth says in the video only deserving families deserve to receive aid, one of the criteria for rejecting certain households who came asking for aid from us is if they had cable TV in their homes. In our eyes entertainment should be least on their minds when there were other teething problems. When asked some reply how else are they to pass their time? We expect them, rather than be passive sitting on a couch watching all that is churned out by the TV stations, they could instead spend this time in keeping themselves occupied doing some handicrafts as a hobby or peddle them bringing some additional income.
While feeding kids in a home some years back, a regular visitor at the home told us he caught a man running three homes selling the groceries received as a donation to a shop. When questioned he replied that he would rather sell them than see it expire. Why did he choose to take on so many supplies if he knew he could not possibly consume them before they expired? At a home that was closed after there was a reported abuse of children, that was pretty obvious to us too, we were taken aback to see provision stacked up to the ceiling. At another home for the kids, we were caught by surprise when the inmates hauled clothing to the dump bins placed by the council. When we questioned them they replied that the clothing was oversized and would only fit adults. I was wondering why can't they have a networking and good rapport with the other operators and share the excess food and groceries among them or pass the clothing that they receive but were of no use to them to another home rather than throw them away.
On the other hand, there were homes that we well run. At a popular home, they refused to accept any more groceries citing that their store was full. At yet another home that we helped out with groceries, as we were there feeding the old and mentally challenged inmates, 3 four wheel drives drove up to the home asking if the operator of the home wanted grains and groceries. She chose to only take what she required at that moment. Another home and shelter for the aged, told us that they have enough.
As Dr Siddharth believes that food distribution should be targeted towards the poor so that the most starving children can reap the benefits, we have moved our sights into the home of these families apart from feeding those on the streets, reducing our frequency for street feeding, as we realized many organizations and individuals have taken to the streets to feed. A man standing in the queue told me he was not going to go hungry because, as he listed to me, an organization was giving food four days a week, while another two covered the other days. A grandpa and grandson seen on the streets daily, with the grandpa playing a board game with others, actually had a home to return too. It's just that grandpa was bored at home so he brings his grandson along to the city to spend the day. When I asked the kid who revealed this to me how about food throughout the day, he replied that they helped themselves to breakfast at a soup kitchen housed permanently in a shophouse nearby and another mobile soup kitchen provides lunch. They return to the earlier place for an early dinner at 5pm before heading home. They would be back the next day at the same spot.
As we walked the streets we have to admit that there is an abundance of food distributed to the homeless. We could not fail to notice that some had packets of food stacked up beside them receiving from the continuous generosity of Malaysians. The public garbage bins were overflowing with food packets, with food only half eaten. They could now afford to eat the more tasty food and throw away the less tasty ones.
As Dr Siddharth says we will end up having people who have access to food (subsidy), will receive and supply someone else at a cost, there is a likelihood for such irresponsible act on the part of these homeless to do so too. As I was editing the video footages taken during our feeding sessions, women caught my attention for she came around taking several packets of pastries and drinks again and again but none spotted her act of defiance as there were many receivers. As one of our fellow volunteers noticed too, a man who was quick to pick up the clothing given on the streets by them, kept comes back again and again on each visit by the volunteers, still without a shirt on. One would only expect him to wear those shirts and pants he took earlier. My friend posted a question to me? Was he selling it to others for a price?
As Dr Siddharth says "Any system that relies on giving away is not likely to be a successful system. By not making them recipients of handouts, only then has the system any future", we at PTS shall take heed from his words to empower the poor, investing in human beings.
While feeding kids in a home some years back, a regular visitor at the home told us he caught a man running three homes selling the groceries received as a donation to a shop. When questioned he replied that he would rather sell them than see it expire. Why did he choose to take on so many supplies if he knew he could not possibly consume them before they expired? At a home that was closed after there was a reported abuse of children, that was pretty obvious to us too, we were taken aback to see provision stacked up to the ceiling. At another home for the kids, we were caught by surprise when the inmates hauled clothing to the dump bins placed by the council. When we questioned them they replied that the clothing was oversized and would only fit adults. I was wondering why can't they have a networking and good rapport with the other operators and share the excess food and groceries among them or pass the clothing that they receive but were of no use to them to another home rather than throw them away.
On the other hand, there were homes that we well run. At a popular home, they refused to accept any more groceries citing that their store was full. At yet another home that we helped out with groceries, as we were there feeding the old and mentally challenged inmates, 3 four wheel drives drove up to the home asking if the operator of the home wanted grains and groceries. She chose to only take what she required at that moment. Another home and shelter for the aged, told us that they have enough.
As Dr Siddharth believes that food distribution should be targeted towards the poor so that the most starving children can reap the benefits, we have moved our sights into the home of these families apart from feeding those on the streets, reducing our frequency for street feeding, as we realized many organizations and individuals have taken to the streets to feed. A man standing in the queue told me he was not going to go hungry because, as he listed to me, an organization was giving food four days a week, while another two covered the other days. A grandpa and grandson seen on the streets daily, with the grandpa playing a board game with others, actually had a home to return too. It's just that grandpa was bored at home so he brings his grandson along to the city to spend the day. When I asked the kid who revealed this to me how about food throughout the day, he replied that they helped themselves to breakfast at a soup kitchen housed permanently in a shophouse nearby and another mobile soup kitchen provides lunch. They return to the earlier place for an early dinner at 5pm before heading home. They would be back the next day at the same spot.
As we walked the streets we have to admit that there is an abundance of food distributed to the homeless. We could not fail to notice that some had packets of food stacked up beside them receiving from the continuous generosity of Malaysians. The public garbage bins were overflowing with food packets, with food only half eaten. They could now afford to eat the more tasty food and throw away the less tasty ones.
As Dr Siddharth says we will end up having people who have access to food (subsidy), will receive and supply someone else at a cost, there is a likelihood for such irresponsible act on the part of these homeless to do so too. As I was editing the video footages taken during our feeding sessions, women caught my attention for she came around taking several packets of pastries and drinks again and again but none spotted her act of defiance as there were many receivers. As one of our fellow volunteers noticed too, a man who was quick to pick up the clothing given on the streets by them, kept comes back again and again on each visit by the volunteers, still without a shirt on. One would only expect him to wear those shirts and pants he took earlier. My friend posted a question to me? Was he selling it to others for a price?
As Dr Siddharth says "Any system that relies on giving away is not likely to be a successful system. By not making them recipients of handouts, only then has the system any future", we at PTS shall take heed from his words to empower the poor, investing in human beings.