#HungerProject: Aiming for #ZeroHunger

MANILA, Philippines – There’s still a lot to be done when it comes to the big problem of hunger and malnutrition among children in the Philippines.

The latest National Nutrition Survey (NNS) of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) revealed that not much has changed in the past 5 years in the nutritional status of Filipinos. 

A Social Weather Stations poll also found that 43% or an estimated 9.3 million families consider themselves food-poor or are unable to feed themselves the right quality and quantity of food. 

What exacerbates the problem is the frequent occurrence of disasters that leave many victims and survivors alike hungry. This was evident in areas of Eastern Visayas where Super Typhoon Yolanda hit in November 2013. People went hungry until they received food packs and food donations from aid agencies and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. 

With less than two months before the deadline of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals, will the country still hit the target of alleviating poverty and malnutrition among children? 

‘Collaborative effort’ 

Hunger does not persist because of inadequate food produced. Studies have shown that there are more than enough resources to feed the world’s hungry people yet the problem lies in the fact that not everyone has access to them. 

 Watch the whole event below: 

Visit the #HungerProject microsite

Ending hunger requires collaboration among several stakeholders and sectors – agriculture, education, local government units (LGUs), civil society organizations (CSOs), and both the public and private sectors. 

Rappler, in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Department of Social Welfare and Develpment (DSWD), held a forum on November 14 entitled Aiming for #ZeroHunger that highlighted the best practices and challenges faced by those involved in fighting hunger and malnutrition in the country. 

The event brought together officials from the DSWD led by Secretary Dinky Soliman and WFP led by Country Representative and Director Praveen Agrawal, and Senator Grace Poe who refers to ending hunger as one of her personal advocacies. 

The #HungerProject is an online platform to raise awareness, spark intelligent conversation, and inspire action against hunger and related issues. 

Join the conversation, send in your questions to move.ph@rappler.com with the subject #HungerProject or join the conversation by tweeting @MovePH with the hashtag #HungerProject. 

You can follow the conversation through this live blog: 

– Rappler.com