By Katie Furrow
“Through prayer, study, and concrete action, let us resolve to act so that those who know extreme poverty and hunger might enter more fully into the abundance of God’s love.” — From the 2006 Annual Conference resolution, “A Call to Reduce Global Poverty and Hunger.”
As part of our call to work toward ending global hunger and poverty, the Office of Public Witness invites congregations to participate in Bread for the World’s 2016 Offering of Letters. This year’s theme, “Survive and Thrive,” focuses on the impact of malnutrition on women and children.
While rates of successful childbirth have increased exponentially since 1990, studies from the British medical journal “The Lancet” have found that “high rates of malnutrition underlie more than 45 percent of all deaths in children younger than 5 years and are a significant factor in maternal mortality.”
Changes must be made to improve nutrition and health among women and children. Currently, Congress has the opportunity to pass the Global Food Security Act which will “ensure continued US investments in agriculture,” and is capable of reforming food aid, which will allow for stronger humanitarian assistance in developing countries. By writing Congress, it is possible to share a collective faith voice on the importance of making sure that brothers and sisters around the world are given the best possible opportunities to thrive.
More information on the issues, how to hold a letter writing event in a congregation, and links to e-mail members of Congress, can be found on Bread for the World’s website at www.bread.org/offering-letters .
— Katie Furrow is the food, hunger, and gardening associate for the Church of the Brethren Office of Public Witness and the Global Food Crisis Fund.