I’ve been reading lots of interesting statistics recently. Combine them and they become sobering very quickly. An example:

From The New York Times: Indonesians spend 50% of their budgets on food, Vietnamese spend 65%, Nigerians spend 73%. The poorest fifth of American households spend 16% of their budgets on eating.

Here are some statistics from The World Bank: Global food prices are up 83% in the past year and a half or so, 36 countries are experiencing food security crises, and prices are expected to remain high through at least 2009.

So what happens when you put those facts together? What’s a community to do when they already spend over half of their income on food, and the costs nearly double? Riots are one of the answers, a way of demanding help from governments and the attention of whomever is listening.

It makes me glad to be living in America. We certainly have our share of problems, and we can’t be proud of how many of our citizens live in poverty and with food insecurity. But as recession looms (or arrives?) and we look to our government, they give us an ecomonic stimulus rebate check. I know it doesn’t solve all of our problems, and arguably creates new ones. I know it doesn’t reach everyone. But the majority of us are still eating, and many of us are still eating very well. I am grateful that my government is both able and willing to respond to an economic downturn.

The ELCA Conference of Bishops recently pledged to tithe their economic stimulus rebate checks to ministries that serve people living in poverty. I think this is a great idea! The intent of the checks is upheld; the money is injected back into the economy so that goods and services are purchased, so that people keep their jobs, earn paychecks, etc. In maintaining the economy, we strive to avoid the conditions that lead to riots. And if those of us who are able donate some or all of our rebates to poverty-related ministries (like ELCA World Hunger!), the money can be put back into the economy by organizations and people with more urgent needs than our own.

My scientist husband directed my attention two weeks ago to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education (Feb. 29, 2008, “Researchers Probe How Poverty Harms Children’s Brains”). In it, the author interviews neuroscientists studying the impact of poverty on the neurological development of children living with poverty. Their primary findings – that poverty (aside from hunger/malnutrition) appears to affect a child’s brain development in ways we don’t quite understand yet – are both intriguing and yet somewhat of a – pardon the pun – no brainer. Poverty is complicated and complex. To think that we could easily categorize the impact of childhood poverty is to underestimate this multi-faceted problem. This research also questions the slippery integration of poverty, literacy, family stress and other socio-economic factors and their combined impact on a child’s brain development. “Growing up poor is bad for your brain” one researcher summarizes in the article – and I’m not sure we really needed research to acknowledge that fact.

In the end, it’s just one more reminder that children are often the most vulnerable in environments of hunger and poverty. When hunger, poverty, racism, and family systems are interwoven, we’re left with complex situations that require – that deserve – our focused attention and smartest thinking… in our schools, in our public policy, in our congregations and in our community services. The solution to hunger and poverty will never be just one thing (food assistance, welfare, school lunches) but an interweaving of many different strategies.

There’s a lot of talk about the economy these days… but what would be a better long-term investment than in strategies that could promote healthier brain development of our children? Now that’s a no-brainer….

Kathryn Sime and I had the privilege of traveling in Peru with Pedro Veliz. I count myself as one of his many admirers and I was blessed to have met him. Pedro Veliz is one of my “hunger heroes.” Who are yours?

Below, find excerpts of an LWR press release about Pedro. Find pictures of our Peru travels at www.imageevent.com/elcahunger/peru Blessings, Sue

Picture: Pedro is modeling the Peruvian hat knit for him and stands next to the textile artist who knit it.

LWR Honors Longest-Serving Staff Member
Baltimore, April 8, 2008 – Lutheran World Relief last week celebratedthe 25-year anniversary of its longest-serving staff member, Pedro Véliz, regional representative for the Andean region. Véliz, who is based in Lima, Peru, joined LWR in 1982.

Véliz joined LWR in 1982 as a project coordinator for the AndeanRegional Office in Lima. He has been regional representative, overseeingprogramming in Peru, Bolivia and Colombia, since 1993.
In introducing Véliz, Whisenant recalled his own experience of workingwith and learning from him while serving as LWR’s director for LatinAmerica programs from 1993 to 2000. “To travel to the field with donPedro and to watch him engage with communities is to understand hisprofound appreciation for the innate dignity of others,” Whisenantsaid. “I’ve seen him engage with impossibly old people to learn fromtheir experience and wisdom. And I’ve seen him play with children ofthree years old, to help them imagine themselves far into the future.”

Véliz addressed the gathering of global colleagues, recalling severalstories from his career with LWR.

“Mr. Garcia was a small farmer who lost much his land when it wascovered by rocks and mud during an earthquake,” he said. “He asked me, ‘now what can I do, Engineer?’ I asked him, ‘what do YOU thinkyou can do?’ and he described the greatest plan I had ever heard forrecovering land after such a disaster. The farmer knew what he had todo, but because I was an engineer, he felt the need to validate hisideas. Often, we think that professionals must have all the answers. Butevery day, we learn something new.”

“My deepest and most sincere gratitude to Lutheran World Relief, thisextended arm of the Lutheran church, for having given me the opportunityto learn and to serve,” he said.

This may be another one that falls into the category of, “yeah, already seen it.” It isn’t cutting edge new. But it’s very worthwhile! In case you haven’t seen it, or if you’d like a refresher course on how our consumption affects our planet and the people on it, please watch Story of Stuff. It’s 20 minutes and 40 seconds of your life well spent – and entertaining, besides! It’s the simplest, clearest explanation I’ve encountered about where all of our “stuff” comes from, where it ends up, and why it matters.

It’s also a partial answer to my posting on the Nature of Power, my question about what it means for an individual American to wield American power. (Though it applies to other countries, too.) At the time I wrote that post, I was thinking more about government. But Story of Stuff makes crystal clear how each of us affects the world – and ultimately world hunger – with our purchase decisions every day. Instant empowerment!

When Israel was in Egypt’s land…Let My people go!
Oppressed so hard they could not stand….Let My people go!
Go down, Moses, Way down in Egypt’s land; Tell old Pharaoh to let My people go!
No more shall they in bondage toil…Let them come out with Egypt’s spoil
Oh, let us all from bondage flee…And let us all in Christ be free
You need not always weep and mourn…And wear these slav’ry chains forlorn
Your foes shall not before you stand…And you’ll possess fair Canaan’s land

Let My people go!

Clergy in Illinois have grown concerned that immigrants in detention in our state don’t have adequate access to spiritual and pastoral counseling. You can find an article from the Chicago Tribune about this matter here.

This morning before work, I went with my pastor and some folks from several other Chicago-area churches and synogogues to a prayer vigil outside the immigrant detention center in Broadview, Illinois. As we sang the spiritual Let My People Go, we saw the detainee transport busses pulling into the center…and as we were leaving, we saw officers loading chains and shackles into the trunks of their cars, getting ready for the day. That was hard to watch.

If you’ve been following the media or my posts, you know that on Saturday several parts of the world engaged in Earth Hour. Both commercial buildings and private residences voluntarily turned off their lights for an hour to make a statement about energy consumption and our impact on the environment.

We participated in my house, and I spent my hour reading by candlelight. I have a few observations about the experience.

1. I am completely, unconsciously hooked on electricity. When I enter a darkened room, I reflexively reach for the light switch. It’s hard to stop myself, even when I’m thinking about it. Change lasting more than an hour would clearly take real effort.
2. Nearly all of my standard evening pastimes require energy. When I have free time, I like to read, cook, knit, watch TV, use the computer. Now, while reading and knitting don’t technically require electricity, they certainly are more difficult by candlelight. Which brings me to my next observation…
3. It’s not as much fun to read by candlelight. I like electricity better. Posture is much more important when you have to keep your reading material near the candle, and after a while it’s uncomfortable. But to sit in my overstuffed chair with my legs flung over the arm as I often do, I’d have to put candles in my lap. Since I’m not keen on setting myself on fire, this obviously isn’t an option. So I’m back to improving my posture. I wouldn’t be reading as much at night if all I had were candles.
4. Not having electricity is so rare in my life that it’s an event to be planned for. Unable to fathom the thought of sitting in the dark talking only to each other for an hour, my husband and I invited some people over for Earth Hour. We thought we’d sit around and talk to our friends. But as it turned out, my husband was sick so we had to cancel it. Still, it made me think of all the places in the world where the absence of electricity is common. What a very different life I lead from the one I would have without constant energy.
5. If Americans didn’t have so much electricity, we might get enough sleep.

In the end, perhaps the best thing about Earth Hour isn’t the statement it made or the energy it saved, but rather the experience of really considering how thoroughly energy use is woven into our lives.

One of the purposes of ELCA World Hunger is to help people learn about hunger and its root causes. And it seems to me, if we can teach people when they’re young, so much the better! They will grow up with a better awareness of the world and their role in it. Which is why I think Food Force is such fun!

Food Force is a free computer game produced by the United Nations World Food Programme. It introduces a couple of causes of hunger, and spends time explaining some basics about the work of international aid organizations. All of this is done by making the player a member of a relief team responsible for getting food to hungry people in a fictional location. It’s intended for kids ages 8 to 13, and I can easily see how it would be a hit with that age group. It’s a bit too basic to really draw in older kids and adults, but having said that, I think most any age group would have fun with it once. I know I both enjoyed it and learned some things! And any age group could use it to open deeper discussion about causes of hunger, the nature of aid, and the roles of relief and long-term development.

Another thing I really like is the web site that goes with it. In addition to the game, there’s information about hunger in the world, real anti-hunger initiatives, nutrition, and support for teachers who want to use Food Force in the classroom. Admittedly, I’m not sure kids are going to spend much time with the additional information, but for parents and teachers who want to create more depth and structure around a Food Force experience, it’s really helpful.

So if you’ve got some time to kill this weekend, check it out! Just don’t do it tonight from 8 to 9 p.m. – it’s Earth Hour and you ought to turn your computer off along with your lights!

One of our hunger volunteers, Mary, forwarded me a link to an interesting blog posting. It’s written by Brian Konkol, a missionary who has recently moved to South Africa. In his March 11th post, he talks about a class he’s taking with several African students from different countries. They are discussing power in the world, who has it, how they use it, etc. The Africans point out to Brian that regardless of its popularity, the United States holds great power and influence throughout the world. The discussion causes Brian to ponder whether “we Americans… have used our vast collective power wisely.”

Brian, in turn, has caused me to ponder. The word “collective” really got my attention. What is the role of an individual American in wielding American power? I have absolutely no data to support this next claim, but here it is: I think that most Americans feel pretty divorced from the actions of the government, and especially its foreign policy. Of course there are exceptions. Politicians, lobbyists and activists are obvious ones. But how many of us, our friends, our family, feel they have anything to do with the Farm Bill? With federal budget allocations? With diplomatic relations?

Of course many of us vote, and that’s important (though many of us don’t!). But it’s often an isolated act. And to be perfectly honest, I don’t usually feel responsible for the ultimate outcome. I pick the candidate that seems to most closely align with my values and then hope for the best. Or I vote punitively, selecting the opposing candidate, regardless of who it is, in hopes of getting rid of the incumbent. Either way, once the voting is done, many of us return to our lives and shake our heads if the news is bad. Outside of this occasional activity, I suspect most Americans don’t feel they have a role in how American power is used in the world.

I’ve sometimes heard statements like, “We don’t have anything against the American people; it’s the government (or policy, or administration) we have issues with.” I think this statement is meant to make criticism easier to accept, but I wonder if instead it doesn’t just further divorce us from our government and policies. “Oh. They’re not talking about me! I’m not part of the government. I’ll just get back to what I was doing.” But is that true? Don’t we claim a representative government? Don’t we claim it represents its citizens – us? me?

Like Brian, I don’t really have answers. If you do, I’d love to hear them – please leave a comment! But I will continue to ponder what it means for an individual American to wield American power outside of a career in politics. Because American power in the world certainly has a role in ending hunger, and if I can wield some of that, I want to.