June 11, 2001

EDITORIAL: A penny to reduce world hunger
___Would you be willing to give up a penny per day to cut world hunger in half by 2015?
___That's the essence of the "Hunger to Harvest Resolution: A Decade of Concern for Africa" (H.Con.Res. 102). The resolution, introduced April 4 and sponsored by Reps. Jim Leach, R.-Iowa, and Donald Payne, D-N.J., expresses the sense of Congress that the United States must help fight hunger in sub-Saharan Africa, the vast stretch south of the Sahara Desert that is home to some of the world's poorest and most malnourished people.
___It's also the focus of "Africa: Hunger to Harvest," a campaign sponsored by the Bread for the World anti-hunger organization. The campaign is engaging members of churches from 45 denominations to write their senators and representatives on behalf of the hunger-elimination project.
___"Hunger to Harvest" asks the United States to commit $1 billion per year toward programs that will reduce hunger in Africa. Of course, that's a lot of money. But it's also just a penny per day per American--less than pocket change.
___The proposal isn't your blank-check, prop-up-a-dictator foreign aid. It recommends "effective, targeted" support that actually would get to the poor people through relief agencies and direct support, explained Bread for the World President David Beckmann. The aid would provide agriculture training, debt relief, improved infrastructure, prevention and treatment for infectious diseases, education and specific help for women and children, he noted.
___"For the first time in history, we have the knowledge, technology and resources to dramatically reduce hunger in God's world," Beckmann stressed. "The 'Africa: Hunger to Harvest' campaign provides a step toward achieving this goal. But our government must make it a priority. Our nation's decision makers need to hear the voices of concerned Christians across the country as we seek justice for hungry people."
___Texas Baptists should support this cause for several reasons:
___ The need is tremendous. According to Bread for the World research, one-third of the people in sub-Saharan Africa are chronically undernourished. About 291 million people in the region--or nearly half the population--live in extreme poverty, on less than $1 per day. Thirty-three of the world's 41 heavily indebted poor countries are in the region. Farmers cannot get credit to buy tools, own land or sell crops because roads to regional markets do not exist.
___ It makes economic sense. Americans have a stake in the region. U.S. businesses have invested more heavily in sub-Saharan Africa than in the Middle East or Eastern Europe. Our trade with the region exceeds trade with all the independent states of the former Soviet Union. If we help build sub-Saharan Africa, rather than simply send emergency foodstuffs, we can open up trade relationships that will last for generations.
___ The political implications are positive. Some repressive governmental regimes have been replaced by more-democratic forms of government. Support for positive African initiatives could help improve the regional governments, as well as confront corruption, prevent and resolve conflict, and create a better environment, Bread for the World analysts reported.
___ The timing is right. On one hand, a poll by the Program on International Policy Attitudes shows 83 percent of Americans agree "the United States should be willing to commit to join a plan for cutting world hunger by one-half." On the other hand, as African countries move toward open economies and democracy, they also have expressed the desire to work with the United States and other industrialized countries to increase the effectiveness of the aid they receive.
___ Jesus would help end hunger. Near the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus said his followers would be known as they minister to "the least of these"--the poor and downtrodden. As we advocate for help for the world's poorest countries--just as we write our own checks for specific hunger-relief projects--we help to do the ministry of compassion for "the least of these."
___Bread for the World staff members will work with you or your church if you want to participate in the "Africa: Hunger to Harvest" campaign. For information, visit the organization's website, www.bread.org, or call (800) 82-BREAD.
Marv Knox

E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com___

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