Health & Hunger

Health and hunger issues affect the entire world. Preventable or manageable diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis result in the deaths of over 6 million people each year. Women and children are the most vulnerable groups. As a result of poor access to quality family and maternal healthcare over 300 million women suffer complications due to pregnancy, 529,000 women die during childbirth, and over 6.6 million children never see their fifth birthdays.

Many health issues and diseases are related to hunger. Every year over 852 million people are malnourished – making them more susceptible disease. Hunger and malnourishment are often exacerbated by parasites and waterborne diseases spread by unclean drinking water. Over 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and over 2.6 billion people do not have access to even the most basic sanitation facilities. Consequently, hunger kills more than 25,000 people every day.

Resource group members will encourage service projects that specifically address the health and nutrition issues of mothers, infants, children, and the elderly. They will pay special attention to health and hunger issues like basic nutrition, preventable or treatable diseases, mental health, and hygiene and sanitation. The resource group will also help raise awareness about programs that address natural disasters, famines, and other complex emergencies that threaten health and cause hunger worldwide.