Intro

The Hunger Project Online Briefing Program The Persistence of Hunger in South Asia Page 2 of 29

Distinctions

Chronic hunger is a profound, debilitating human experience, that affects the ability of individuals to work productively, think clearly, and resist disease. It also has devastating consequences for society: it drains economies, destabilizes governments, and reaches across international boundaries.

• When many people think of hunger, they think of famine - sudden shortages of food due to war, drought, flood or other natural disasters.

• Although famine is the most dramatic and publicized type of hunger, it accounts for no more than 10% of hunger-related deaths.

• The vast majority of hunger-related deaths - the other 90% - are caused by chronic hunger.

Chronic hunger occurs because people lack opportunity - to earn enough money, to be educated and gain skills, to meet basic health needs and to have a voice in the decisions that affect their communities. Hungry people lack the resources to buy or grow the food that they need to lead healthy and productive lives. Chronic hunger is persistent - it continues day after day, week after week. If it goes on long enough, chronic hunger leads to death. Its ramifications for societies and the world as a whole are serious and widespread. Hunger destroys family structure, drains the economy, creates antagonism among people, and destabilizes governments. In our global world, the effects of hunger reach across boundaries.

• A greater percentage of hungry people live in South Asia, than in any other region in the world.

• Over 400 million people go hungry in South Asia every day.

• Almost two-thirds of all deaths under age 5 in South Asia are associated specifically with malnutrition.

Intro

The Hunger Project Online Briefing Program The Persistence of Hunger in South Asia Page 2 of 29

Distinctions