In India, children begging for food at traffic signals, station platforms and in crowded places is a rather common sight. On one hand, the culture of lavish food spreads at weddings, parties, restaurants and the subsequent wastage of food is prevalent across, and on the other hand families and children are going hungry, and remain malnourished, trying to get 3 basic meals a day.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity and the presence of this contradiction has increased in India and across the world. This is particularly true for households where families have lost their livelihoods and children are dependent.

This World Food Day, as our teams on the ground continue to work tirelessly to get 3 meals a day to every family and their children, here are some old advertisements across the world, that will strengthen our commitment to ensure that no child ever sleeps hungry.

1.FEED OUR FUTURE, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME

More than 320 million children around the world are now missing out on school meals due to school closures because of Covid-19. Many of these children are from poor families and depend on the daily meals they receive at school.

Some 37 countries where the World Food Programme (WFP) implements school feeding programmes have so far reported partial or country-wide closure of school. This means that nearly 9 million children are no longer receiving WFP-supported school meals – and that number is set to rise in coming days and weeks.

Looking at the WFP ad from 2019 – Feed our future, created to keep the voice of children alive… this ad couldn’t be more relevant in today’s times.

2.WORLD FOOD DAY ONLINE DRIVE, KELLOGGS

Facing new evidence from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UNFAO) that world hunger continues to rise, in 2018, Kellogg today announced a new campaign that would make it easier for people to fight hunger by donating 10 to hungry families by feeding American food banks across the U.S. In a world where we produce enough food for everyone, how can more than 820 million people, or one in nine, struggle with hunger? The answer, according to Matt Knott, Feeding America President, lies in our ability to get the right foods in the hands of the people who need it most.

3.FOOD FOR EDUCATION, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY

Food for Education signifies a mid-day meal program by Akshaya Patra providing free lunch to children at all Government schools in India in order to achieve regular attendance of poor children to schools, and also improve access to nutrition. The Government of India mandated the mid-day meal for school children in 2003, since then, Akshaya Patra has partnered with the Government to serve cooked mid-day meals at Government schools.

Two decades of service to India’s children paved a path that made it possible for them to serve over five crore meals to needy people and children affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown.

4.I AM CHILD HUNGER IN AMERICA, FEEDING AMERICA

Child hunger in America can be hard to recognize. Because the millions of kids facing it can look like anyone.

Hunger is often hidden, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. More than 37 million people, including 11 million children, face hunger in the United States. At the same time, 72 billion pounds of safe, wholesome food ends up in America’s landfills each year. Help Feeding America raise awareness about hunger and wasted food in America. Imagine what the numbers would be today?

5.NO CHILD SHOULD GO TO BED HUNGRY, UNICEF

As progress in fighting hunger stalls, the COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying the vulnerabilities and inadequacies of global food systems – understood as all the activities and processes affecting the production, distribution and consumption of food. While it is too soon to assess the full impact of the lockdowns and other containment measures, the report estimates that at a minimum, another 83 million people, and possibly as many as 132 million, may go hungry in 2020 as a result of the economic recession triggered by COVID-19, many of whom are children.

Here’s an ad by UNICEF that addresses child hunger in refugee camps in Afghanistan.