The BIG 7 Billion Number

My husband downloaded the National Geographic magazine’s 2011 year-long series on world population app on the iPad last week, and my son has since been immensely intrigued by it.  He has been showing everyone the app, which has a very interesting video clip, so much so that even his sister is showing keen interest in it too.

Just in case you’re interested, here’s the same video clip I’m talkin’ about, which I got off YouTube:

The National Geographic series on world population was created in conjunction with the fact that our world population hit the 7-billion mark on October 31st 2011, and the video clip touches on real facts (some shocking but true) about our world situation as it is now, and potentially in years to come.

I hesitate to say that the 7-billion world population figure is one worth celebrating because out of that figure, almost 1 billion people suffer from hunger.  That is a HUGE figure and one which is quite a disturbing fact.

Even more disturbing is the revelation that this year, 6 million children will die from hunger-related causes, if nothing is done.

Just imagine…there are people out there who do not have the means to a decent meal every day, and yet, when you think about it, there is always SOMETHING we can do.

Recently, a group of blogging moms has initiated a fund-raising effort to address this issue and they have targeted Children’s Hunger Fund, a non-profit organization aimed at helping hungry children all around the world.  Today, I called both my kids together for a brief sharing session.  They were all excited when I whipped out the iPad and told them Mommy was going to show them something interesting on the iPad which was NOT a game.

I started by recollecting the video clip they saw from National Geographic, and then I added more details to the statistics.  I then showed them the Children’s Hunger Fund website, and explained how we could help by providing these children with food, toys and even Bibles!  Ethan was surprised that we could feed a child for a mere 5 cents a meal!  As an example of how we could help those suffering from hunger, I told Ethan and Hannah that they could take a look at their piggy bank and let me know if they would be interested to donate some of their *earnings* to help these hungry kids.

After asking me some questions, Ethan said that he would like to donate some money to buy the kids some nice pasta (oh yes, they have that too), and Hannah sort of mentioned she wanted to donate some money to buy some toys for the kids.

Later, Ethan came up and told me, “Mommy, I talked to God just now and I prayed for the hungry kids.”

I was so touched.

So there you go.  There’s one way you can help make a difference in a hungry child’s life.

You could also forgo that designer dress you were thinking of and use that money to get something for the kids that they need.

You could also purchase stuff for kids in need from the Children’s Hunger Fund menu and present that as a Christmas gift for someone, and give a note to that someone stating “Dear xxx, I gave a gift of 100 meals to a child in need in your name.  You helped to make a difference in a child’s life.”

…or even a fund-raising campaign!

I’m extracting this text from the Children’s Hunger Fund site, because I was moved by what was written.  Just goes to show how we should always be thankful for the meals put on the table for us each day, and that we can help a child in need, if we only start somewhere.

I’m a child in need. This Christmas I won’t get any gifts. In fact, I’ll be lucky if I have a meal to eat on Christmas day.

But hope is not lost. Some generous people at Children’s Hunger Fund know about my need and the needs of others like me. And they do whatever they can to help.

Each year Children’s Hunger Fund mails this catalog, a menu of ways you can serve a child.

Notice, the word menu can also be read “me ‘n’ you.” When you go out to a restaurant you look through the menu, make your choice, and a waiter gives you your meal.

I often get on my knees and ask God to provide for ME, and God can use YOU as the answer to my prayers–MEnU. This MEnU, gives you a way to provide food and other essentials to a child like me this holiday season. Whatever gift you choose to give, thank you for generously loving me, and others in need.

Sincerely,
A needy child you can help

If you’d like to participate in a fund-raising project of any kind, do drop me a line and I will direct you to the person-in-charge.

I’ll leave you with these 2 videos, which speak volumes, way more than my words ever will: