Acute hunger or starvation are often highlighted on TV
screens: hungry mothers too weak to breastfeed their children in
drought-hit Ethiopia, refugees in war-torn Syria queuing for food
rations, helicopters airlifting high energy biscuits to earthquake
victims in Haiti or Pakistan.
These situations are the result of high profile crises like
war or natural disasters, which starve a population of food. Yet
emergencies account for less than eight percent of hunger's
victims.
Daily undernourishment is a less visible form of hunger –
but it affects many more people, from the shanty towns of
Jakarta in Indonesia and the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh to
the mountain villages of Bolivia and Nepal. In these places,
hunger is much more than an empty stomach.
For weeks, even months, its victims must live on
significantly less than the recommended 2,100 kilocalories that
the average person needs to lead a healthy life.
The body compensates for the lack of energy by slowing
down its physical and mental activities. A hungry mind cannot
concentrate, a hungry body does not take initiative, a hungry
child loses all desire to play and study.
Hunger also weakens the immune system. Deprived of the
right nutrition, hungry children are especially vulnerable and become too weak to fight off disease and may die from common
infections like measles and diarrhea. Each year, almost 7 million
children die before reaching the age of five; malnutrition is a key
factor in over a third of these deaths
(Source: Levels and Trends in Child Mortality,
IGME, 2012 in http://www.wfp.org).
How much food do you need?
The energy and protein that people need varies according
to age, sex, body size, physical activity and, to some extent,
climate. On average, the body needs more than 2,100
kilocalories per day per person to allow a normal, healthy life.
Extra energy is needed during pregnancy and while breast-feeding.
Choose the alternative that presents the singular form of
the demonstrative pronoun in the sentence below.
“These situations are the result of high profile crises like
war or natural disasters [ ]".