Hungry children

Hungry Children
Let us consider the following statistical data regarding child hunger:
Every 6 seconds a child of less than 5 years dies of hunger. Every 3 minutes 30 children die from pauperization. According to a report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 6 million children of less than 5 years suffer from malnutrition every year. More than 180 million children of less than 10 years suffer from hunger, because they do not have anything to eat. Due to the poor health and malnutrition of their mothers during pregnancy, 177 million children development later than they naturally should, while 8 million newborns die annually. These statistics come from countries where 15 million of young girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are the ones to give birth.
The different analyses of progress indicate that the world is far from reaching the goal that was established during the World Food Summit of 1996. The goal was to reduce in half the amount of children suffering from hunger by 2015. Where nutrition becomes difficult, a child has a life expectancy of 38 years, while the 24 wealthiest countries have a life expectancy of 70 years.
One out of 7 children born in underdeveloped countries is sentenced to die before reaching the age of 5. The annual estimate is of 250,000 children. The report asserts that the majority of children from these countries die due to the lack of vital nutrition; a state which weakens them, reduces their weight, and elevates their vulnerability. Furthermore, these children are exposed to a high risk of infectious diseases. In underdeveloped countries, diarrhea, acute respiratory diseases, malaria, and measles are the ones to blame for most of child deaths. This crude reality is seen in all Hispanic countries, as well as in the Caribbean.
St. Augustin asserted that, “that which remains to the rich is patrimony of the poor”. (Translated by Gianna A. Sanchez Moretti)
Author and journalist Clemente Ferrer has led a distinguished career in Spain in the fields of publicity and press relations. He is currently President of the European Institute of Marketing.
clementeferrer3@gmail.com