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8 Quotes About How to End Hunger

8 Quotes About How to End HungerMore than 820 million people are suffering from hunger. Further, 2 billion are suffering from malnutrition. However, there is enough food, knowledge and resources to end hunger. First, society must address the root cause to effectively end world hunger. Here are 8 inspiring quotes about how to end hunger.

8 Quotes About How to End Hunger

  1. “If with so little we have done so much in Brazil, imagine what could have been done on a global scale if the fight against hunger and poverty were a real priority for the international community.” -Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva. Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva is a former Brazilian president, with enormous popularity across Brazil. Lula Da Silva made the poor his central focus. He put into place many social welfare programs and was able to bring millions out of poverty.
  2. “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” -Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa is widely known for feeding the hungry one person at a time. She also set up programs that assisted in resolving world hunger.
  3. “You cannot tackle hunger, disease and poverty unless you can also provide people with a healthy ecosystem in which their economies can grow.” -Gro Harlem Brundtland. Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland was a physician and scientist for the Norwegian public health system and the Prime Minister of Norway. She later became the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). Brundtland believes in being the moral voice in improving health and alleviating suffering for people around the world.
  4. “We cannot fight against the poverty and hunger in the world when our stomachs are full of delicious food… the fighters must feel the poverty not imagine it.” -M.F. Moonzajer. This quote comes from M.F. Moonzajer’s latest book titled “Love, Hatred, and Madness.” Moonzajer is a journalist and a former intern for the United Nations Secretariat in Bonn as well as a policymaker for an international NGO in Afghanistan.
  5. “Nowhere in the world, in no act of genocide, in no war, are so many people killed per minute, per hour and per day as those who are killed by hunger and poverty…” -Fidel Castro. Fidel Castro was the former Prime Minister of Cuba. Castro felt strongly about human rights, particularly the right to food accessibility. He accused wealthy nations of tolerating the genocide of starvation. He addressed the United Nations during the organization of a multinational force to aid “1 million Rwandan refugees in eastern Zaire where rebel fighting cut off the country’s food supply.”
  6. “When you see in places like Africa and parts of Asia abject poverty, hungry children and malnutrition around you, and you look at yourself as being people who have well being and comforts, I think it takes a very insensitive, tough person not to feel they need to do something.” -Ratan Tata. Ratan Tata is an Indian philanthropist working to improve conditions in India by honing in on the malnutrition of children, fortifying staple foods and aiming to alleviate poverty. The Tata Trusts are providing 60,000 meals a day.
  7. “If you want to eliminate hunger, everybody has to be involved.” – Bono. Bono is a band member of the group U2 and is a leading voice for the world’s poor. His efforts mainly pertain to fighting hunger and poverty, particularly for those in Africa. The musician donates his time to philanthropic causes such as creating charities such as the ONE Campaign and the clothing line EDUN to stimulate trade in poverty-stricken countries.
  8. “If everyone who wants to see an end to poverty, hunger and suffering speak out, then the noise will be deafening.” -Desmond Tutu. Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa is an advocate for human rights, particularly the right to food and clean water. Tutu received the Global Champion Against Hunger award from the United Nations World Food Program for his efforts to defend the weak and the hungry.

These 8 inspiring quotes about how to end hunger show that there are people in the world trying to make a difference. But, as Bono said, everyone has to be involved to truly end world hunger.

– Na’Keevia Brown
Photo: Flickr

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9 Quotes From Notable Figures About Poverty 

Quotes From Notable Figures About PovertyNotable figures throughout history are oftentimes known for their eloquence. This ability is especially important when it comes to mobilizing others around important issues, such as poverty. Below are nine quotes from notable figures about poverty.

9 Quotes From Notable Figures About Poverty

  1.  “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice.” -Nelson Mandela.

    Nelson Mandela was a philanthropist and social rights activist. Additionally, he was also the former President of South Africa and a spokesman for ending poverty. In 2005, he made a speech at the Make Poverty History rally in London, speaking to a crowd of 22,000 people on the subject.

  2. “When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.” -Mother Teresa.

    Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic nun who devoted her life to serving the poor around the world. In addition, she received a Nobel Peace Prize for her work in overcoming poverty and distress.

  3. “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” -Mahatma Gandhi.

    Mahatma Gandhi traveled around the world and observed the living conditions and causes of poverty. He began his activism in South Africa and later became the leading notable figure in India. Gandhi faced imprisonment several times for undertaking hunger strikes and protesting the oppression of India’s poorest classes.

  4. “Once poverty is gone, we’ll need to build museums to display its horrors to future generations. They’ll wonder why poverty continued so long in human society…” -Muhammad Yunus.

    Muhammad Yunus is a professor from Bangladesh who dedicated his life to becoming actively involved in poverty reduction in Bangladesh after observing the famine of 1974. Then, he went on to develop a number of companies to address the diverse issues of poverty, including a method of banking that provided small loans to the poor to assist them with getting out of poverty.

  5. “Poverty is not a fate, it is a condition; It is not a misfortune, it is an injustice.”-Gustavo Gutierrez.

    Gustavo Gutierrez was a theologian and priest whose beliefs were that it was the Christian duty to aid the poor and the oppressed. Further, Gutierrez dedicated his life to advocating for the poor in Latin America.

  6. “Poverty devastates families, communities and nations. It causes instability and political unrest and fuels conflict.” -Kofi Annan.

    Kofi Annan believed in combating poverty, promoting equality and fighting for human rights. As the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Annan’s greatest achievement includes the launching of the U.N. Millenium Development Goals which cut extreme poverty in half.

  7. “The issue of poverty is not a statistical issue. It is a human issue.” – James Wolfensohn.

    As the ninth President of the World Bank Group, James Wolfensohn focused on fighting global poverty and helping the poor forge better lives. His belief was that the Bank should serve the people of the world, particularly the poorest of the poor.

  8. “Poverty is a scourge that must be overcome, and this can only be accomplished through concerted international efforts involving effective partnerships between developed and developing countries and between government, the private sector and civil society.” -Dr. Han Seung-Soo.

    Dr. Han Seung-Soo was the Prime Minister of South Korea and is now the President of the United Nations General Assembly’s 56th session. Further, Seung-Soo dedicated his presidency to emphasizing the consideration of ways to bring Africa into the mainstream through poverty eradication and the generation of sustainable development.

  9. “It is our moral failure that we still tolerate poverty.” -Ela Bhatt.

    Ela Bhatt, the founder of the Self Employed Women’s Association, believes poverty is a form of violence. She has been an advocate for the poor, particularly women, in her native country of India.

– Na’Keevia Brown
Photo: Flickr

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Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes On Love

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes On LoveMartin Luther King Jr. was a significant voice during the American civil rights movement, where he fought for equal rights for all. Martin Luther King Jr.’s quotes on love are filled with humility, courage, compassion and kindness. King continues to inspire people today and will always be remembered for what he stood for.

In 1948, Dr. King earned his sociology degree at Morehouse College. While completing his degree, King met Benjamin E Mays, the president of the college who greatly influenced his spiritual growth. May was a strong advocate for racial equality and believed that King should view Christianity as a force for change in society. Therefore, King applied this to his mission of ending segregation in the south. Through his speeches, King would highlight the importance of spreading love and kindness.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes on Love

  1. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”In King’s 1957 speech called “Loving Your Enemies”, he explains that once people understand that there is good in those who do evil and evil in those who are good, they are less likely to hate their enemies. King goes on to explain that hating your enemy will only hurt and burden our souls. However, a better solution would be to have love and compassion for our enemies.
  2. “A man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”In King’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, King accepted the award for his nonviolence resistance to racial prejudice in America. In his speech, King explains that in order to achieve peace people must be willing to change their ways. Therefore, revenge, aggression and retaliation is an ineffective method that only fuels hate. In addition, King mentions he accepts this award on behalf of all the men who love peace and brotherhood.
  3.  “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.”From King’s 1957 speech “Loving your enemies”, King explains the importance of forgiveness and how it is the only way we learn to love our enemies.
  4. “The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.”In King’s 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, King believes that nothing compares to unity and harmony among people.
  5. “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental and anemic.”From a 1967 speech called “Where Do We Go from Here?” delivered at the annual convention of the Sothern Christian Leadership Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. King explains that power implemented the right way could bring on justice, however when not could cause destruction.
  6. “In some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.”In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested along with others for protesting the injustice against blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. While in jail, King wrote a letter to a newspaper explaining, in which he defends his nonviolent approach against racism.
  7. “Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”On February 4, 1968, Martin Luther King delivered a speech at Ebenezer Baptist Church called “The Drum Major Instinct” two months prior to his assassination. In this speech, King explains that “the drum major instinct” is the desire and importance to be first. He further explains that issues with racism stem from wanting to be superior to others. King suggested that people should love one another before anything else. King uses Jesus’ life as an example of how humility and love could lead to greatness. King concluded his speech on how he would like to be remembered as someone who dedicated his life to serving others.

These Martin Luther King Jr. quotes on love remind us that King believed in a world where conflicts should be handled peacefully and that even when bitterness seems instinctual, love should always prevail.

– Merna Ibrahim
Photo: Flickr