Kelsey Moore
Mr. Thym
Composition 1010
December 2, 2013

Hungry Children in Africa
All over the world there are hungry children. Africa, however, is especially overwhelmed with child hunger. This is a major issue that needs to be resolved because the children are the future. Natural disasters, lack of resources and lack of knowledge all are main causes leading to child hunger in Africa. However, there are many solutions to this problem. People can make a difference, as well as organizations. The best solutions tend to be the simplest.
One of the leading causes to child hunger in Africa is no access to available food. Natural disasters make it harder for children to obtain food. The small amount of rain that falls on the arid plains of the Horn of Africa is not nearly enough water to grow the life-sustaining corn, sorghum, and wheat that is needed in order to feed the hundreds of millions of children that deal with the hardships of famine, nor is it enough water to sufficiently quench their endless thirst (Harrington). Over the years life-giving rains have once again failed to consistently fall in East Africa. In some places in the region, rain has not fallen in nearly a year. There is not enough grass to feed the cattle and therefore like the people that herd them, they too begin to perish from excessive heat, thirst, and hunger. As a result of the drought the price of food in the markets continue to rise to an all-time high. Population growth is also a factor contributing to the famine. There are so many children being born and not enough food to feed them all (Harrington). The amount of children in Africa exceeds the amount of middle aged and older people of Africa, which is a major issue. Living in such dry conditions, causes the crops to die out affecting the available food for all the children, which results in not enough food for the hundreds of kids (Think).
They also have no food due to little food transportation. There are very few roads in Africa, and the roads they do have are very poorly paved and are not very useful for transporting food (Harrington). This is a problem with the food being delivered by truck or car. Also, children are not able to drive cars because they do not know how and they do not have an access to vehicles. This affects their ability to get goods from farther away (Harrington).
Child hunger in Africa is also caused by lack of resources because they have no money to buy food resulting from unemployment or not making enough money. There are not enough jobs for the children of Africa. There is so much unemployment on this continent, which is why they are not able to receive food (Harrington). Many are too weak to do the difficult jobs anyway, and those who do have jobs do not make enough money to provide for themselves and their families. Plus, they have a hard time buying food because the prices keep on increasing. They also have inadequate food production because they lack good equipment (Think). They do not have the money to build factories to help manage food supplies and package them. They also do not have equipment to manage the meats. This is a problem because meat can cause diseases and kill out a population. They also lack fertile land because Africa is one of the driest places on Earth (Think). Fertile land is a big factor when growing crops. Africa cannot grow the crops they need because of the lack of rain and water. They also do not have the knowledge to maintain crop production because they are young children and they do not have access to an education (Think). There are so many problems causing the hunger of children in Africa. Nonetheless, there are many solutions to these problems. People can make a big difference by donating food or money. For the price of one missile, a school full of hungry children could eat lunch every day for five years. The best solutions are usually the simplest of all. For example, if people could teach the children how to garden or how to maintain crops, they could start providing food for themselves and their future families (Saving). If people took the time to see the importance of feeding these children about half or more of this population could be saved (Saving). Organizations are helpful for providing some food for these children. Feed The Children is an organization that has reached out to help. Founded in 1979, Feed The Children is consistently ranked as one of the largest international charities in the United States, based on private, non-government support. Feed The Children is an international, nonprofit relief organization with headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that delivers food, medicine, clothing, and other necessities to individuals, children, and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty, or natural disasters (Feed). In 2011, Feed The Children distributed more than 104 million pounds of food and other essentials to children and their families in all fifty states and internationally (Feed). This charity provides ways for anyone to get involved. You can sponsor a child, travel to Africa to help, or joining a feeding program (Feed). There are many other organizations that provide the same purpose. Although, the problem is not solved with these solutions it has come a long way. All in all, there are so many hungry children all over the world. Africa is especially affected by this malnourishment. There are many causes of this terrible issue, as well as many solutions. I hope in the future this problem becomes solved because these children are the future.