9.2 Hunger

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9.2.3 Hunger Roundtable

Please, introduce yourself.

My name is Ali, I am from Pakistan. My father works in a brick factory, but he makes only a little money. I have two sisters. My mother doesn't go out to work.
I am Jaden from the USA. My father works at constructions. Sometimes there is no job, so no money. My mother is ill, she is in bed or in hospital. The hospital bills are high.
My name is Zendaya.My country is Sudan. There is war in the country. Before the war we were just fine. But my father was killed. I walked for 42 days with my mother to reach a refugee camp. 
I am Sunita. My father worked in a call center, as he speaks English. But six months ago he lost his job, because the company automated his tasks. Now he does only odd jobs. I have three younger brothers. Mom is a housewife, but she is also looking for a job now.

What did you eat yesterday?

I had roti with lentils for dinner. Nothing else yesterday.
I had bread and canned beans for lunch and pasta for dinner. I didn't have breakfast.
We only had dinner: rice with curry. My mother made the curry with onions and tomatoes.
We received a bag of broomcorn last week. My mother makes it into porridge every day.

How often do you get to eat each day?

We only have food for dinner every day when my father comes home.
I usually don’t have breakfast, but I have lunch at school and dinner with my parents at home.
My mother makes porridge twice a day. When we were on the way to the camp, we didn’t eat for a week.
When we have little food, I give my dinner to my little brothers, so there are days when I don’t eat at all.

Are there certain foods you wish you could eat more often?

I wish we could have more fruit like bananas and oranges, but they’re expensive. I also love sweets like gulab jamun, but we only have them during festivals.
I wish we could have meat, like chicken or beef, but it’s hard to get. I haven’t seen meat for ages.
On good days, we have pizza for dinner. I wish we could have pizza more often.
I wish I could eat chicken or mutton, but we don’t have it because it’s expensive.

Have you ever had lunch or dinner at a restaurant?

Every now and then, we can buy some street food at the market, if that counts as a restaurant.
We used to go to McDonald's in the past, but recently it’s too expensive for us. Is McDonald's considered a restaurant, anyway?
No, I’ve just heard about it.
If you mean a proper restaurant, where people sit at tables and eat nice food, then no.

Do you ever get sick because you don’t have enough food?

I’m often sick, especially in winter, but I’m not sure if it’s because I don’t eat enough.
I’m not sick, but I often feel sleepy and tired. I have issues at school, and my grades aren’t good recently.
I sleep all day because we have nothing to do in the camp, so I’m fine. But back at home, my little brother died because we didn’t have enough food for him.
I’m worried about my brothers. They’re thin and not as lively as they were before.

Do you know why it’s hard for your family to get food?

My father earns very little, but food is getting more expensive every day. He should find a better job because he has to support five people.
When my mother was healthy, everything was better. She also had a job. My father should find a permanent job to earn more money, but it’s not easy. The hospital is also expensive, and we save all our money to pay for my mother’s medical bills.
I don’t have a father. Right now, only my mother and I are in the family. My mother doesn’t have a house or money, and I can’t go to school. We are just waiting for the war to be over so we can go back to our village.
We don’t have money because my dad lost his job. My mom tries to find cleaning jobs to make some money, but even that is difficult. They’re talking about getting me married, but honestly, I don’t want to. I want to study.

Do you know how many people go to bed hungry in your country?

One in five people in Pakistan don’t have enough food.
America is a rich country, but still, there are poor people. One in seven families doesn’t have enough money to buy proper food. 14 million children don’t get enough food.
Right now, there’s famine in my country. More than half of the people have little or nothing to eat. Thousands have died from hunger. We are lucky here in the camp.
Nearly half of India’s population doesn’t have proper food. Most people don’t starve, but they don’t get enough vitamins and other nutrients they need. You don’t see many obese people in India.

Have you or your family received any help with food? From whom?

No, we haven't received anything ever. Is it possible?
Yes, my father goes to the food bank. That’s where we get the canned beans from. Unfortunately, they don’t have good-quality food like beef or fresh salads.
In the refugee camp, we receive broomcorn, rice, and sometimes cooking oil and beans. These are provided by aid organisations, mainly the World Food Programme.
I don’t know much about charities. When we are in big trouble, my mother’s parents help us with a bag of rice.