RESPONSE TO GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

June 3, 2008, New York, NY- The global food crisis that we are now facing will result in millions more going hungry and being malnourished. Helen Keller International (HKI) urges global leaders to act to address the immediate humanitarian crisis and the on-going issue of global food insecurity. The organization is poised to intervene with a combination of proven interventions to combat malnutrition and food insecurity.

Founded in 1915, HKI is a recognized leader in developing sustainable and effective nutrition programs. The organization’s President and CEO, Kathy Spahn, stated that, “HKI’s expertise in nutritional surveillance programs can help provide the critical information needed to assess the magnitude of the current global crisis.” HKI programs can also be brought to scale to provide solutions to immediate food shortages and long term nutritional deficiencies. For example, HKI’s Homestead Food Production program, which currently operates in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal, and the Philippines, and Community Gardening programs in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Mozambique provide training and agricultural supplies to increase year-round food production. These models can be replicated in additional targeted areas.

While a UN food summit will take place in early June to coordinate a global response, many economists and international policy experts agree that the food crisis will not be limited to a short-term, emergency problem. HKI agrees with Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen, that a cooperative global effort to rapidly expand food production to meet accelerating food demand is necessary.

HKI’s paper in response to the food crisis outlines its range of proven programs and is available on-line at http://www.hki.org/research/health_and_nutrition.html.

If you would like to make a donation to HKI’s efforts to address the food crisis, please click here.