Every day after school, one of the first questions I’d ask my grandma was, “What’s for dinner?”
Sometimes, I liked what she suggested. Other times, I’d try to bargain for something that sounded “better.” Either way, I ended up with a plate in front of me and a full stomach. There was always food in the fridge — always something to eat.
But for so many people living in poverty, war, or the midst of a crisis, it’s a daily struggle just to put food on the table. What’s for dinner when the cupboards are empty? When you used the last of your food days ago? When your children are crying because they haven’t eaten all day?
The answer: Nothing.
But how do people in critical need survive without food? Read below to find out.
Uganda: From Place to Place
Many times, famine forces entire communities in Uganda to relocate just to survive
When famine and hunger strike communities in Uganda, many are forced to pack up and move to a new area. With the threat of starvation looming, staying in one place is no longer a survivable choice.
But the migration of entire communities often presents new problems. Even when families can settle closer to food, many of them can’t afford it. As a result, they end up begging on the streets just to survive.
Theft and conflict are often common in times of desperation, too. When left unresolved, these conflicts can turn deadly for those involved.
Burundi: An Ongoing Crisis
When there’s no food, people in Burundi must drink water to fill their stomachs
Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with an estimated 87 percent of its population living in poverty. Most Burundians depend on small-scale agriculture for survival. And since the country often suffers from droughts, floods, and other natural disasters that affect crops, many people don’t have stable access to food.
In an attempt to stretch what little food they do have, many families rely on water-heavy soups to ease their hunger pains. Other times, all they can do is drink water in an attempt to fill their stomachs.
Even so, it’s often not enough. Right now, countless people in Burundi are suffering from malnutrition.
The Philippines: Red-Tinted Teeth
Remote tribes in the Philippines often go to desperate measures to fight hunger
Even though the Philippines is becoming more urbanized, many tribes still live in the country’s dense jungles. For these communities, food is often hard to get because they’re so remote.
A World Help team recently visited one community in particular where, soon after they arrived, they learned people often made fires just to stir them around because they didn’t have anything to cook on them. Others drank water just to fill their stomachs.
And when things got really bad, families often ground up burned shells and leaves and rubbed them on their gums.
The bitter concoction stained their teeth red, but it helped ease the stomach pains that resulted from prolonged hunger.
Malawi: Just to Survive
Homeless children in Malawi often fall victim to severe hunger
During times of hunger and famine, many Malawian families have to get resourceful to survive. Sometimes, they’ll boil unripe, bitter mangos to make them soft enough to eat.
Other times, they’ll dig up the roots of banana trees to make porridge. This kills the banana trees, but it’s often the only way to survive. Families will also cook corn husks, traditionally used for pig feed, to make porridge. It causes stomach problems, but they often have no choice.
Malawi doesn’t just suffer from a high rate of food insecurity. Over 14 percent of the country’s children don’t have parents to care for them. For them, hunger is a constant companion.
“One of the most heartbreaking things I’ve ever seen in Malawi is when I witnessed orphans literally fishing for ants,” our Malawi partner said.
Many orphaned children in Malawi put reeds down holes to collect ants. After they pull the reeds up, they eat the ants right off the stick.
Today, countless people living in poverty or the aftermath of a disaster will have nothing to eat for dinner. They will go to bed hungry and wake up with stomach pains. And without help, this devastating cycle will continue.
And food isn’t the only essential they need to survive. Men, women, and children around the world also lack access to necessities like clean water, clothing, medical care, God’s Word, and more.
Your $24 gift today will provide two people with the lifesaving supplies they desperately need. Through your generosity, you will be a lifeline and a reminder of God’s love around the world.
You can help put dinner — and other lifesaving essentials — on the table for people in need worldwide. Click the button below to give now.