World Hunger and Poverty

The images of a child's bloated belly or of a mother searching through garbage trying to find food are ones that have long haunted our world and that must be erased immediately. Hunger and malnutrition affect a vast majority of the people in the planet and many die every day from these preventable causes. It is time not to just speak out against world hunger but to do something about it. Having witnessed first hand the horrors of poverty and hunger, I feel compelled to help out the ones in need
Author's comments about this article:
The topic of world hunger and poverty is uniquely important to me, especially because I grew up all around it. I hope to one day, through the work I accomplish, inspire people to help rid the world of poverty and hunger.
and to spread the message of giving so that one day we will see hunger and poverty as a thing of the past.

Thanks to my Hispanic heritage I have been able to gain a diligent sense of perspective about the world that not many people my age possess. I was born in Quito, Ecuador and lived there for most of my childhood. Thankfully I grew up in the good part of town and never had to face terrible hardship myself. My family was always hard working and taught me to appreciate what I had. The scenes of poverty and deficiency were inescapable though. Whether it was the beggar at the corner of the street or the shoe-shiner in the hair salon, the evidence of poverty was present at all times. I have always had a desire to help the people in need, and fortunately I have had the opportunity to do so on many occasions. I would travel to the countryside with my family and we would bring food along to feed the local children with. It was tremendously important that I thought of those children as equal to me, and my Mom and Dad made sure that I knew that. I would always play soccer with them or share my Power Rangers action figures with them just as I would with my brother or sister. To me they were not poor kids; they were just... [continues]

Read full essay