By Katie Furrow<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThrough 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\u2019s love.\u201d —\u00a0 From the 2006 Annual Conference resolution, \u201cA Call to Reduce Global Poverty and Hunger.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 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\u2019s 2016 Offering of Letters. This year\u2019s theme, \u201cSurvive and Thrive,\u201d focuses on the impact of malnutrition on women and children.<\/p>\n While rates of successful childbirth have increased exponentially since 1990, studies from the British medical journal \u201cThe Lancet\u201d have found that \u201chigh 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u201censure continued US investments in agriculture,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n
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