Michael
Homsany
Professor:
Benjamin Doyle
English
1111
Monday
November 26, 2012
"Action Against Hunger": A Hunger Warrior!
“The test of our progress is not whether we add
more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough
for those who have too little.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
We found ourselves
in the 21st century where things have shifted a lot since the times
of our ancestors. Because of the
globalization, the economy of our world has make an enormous change in the live
of many people creating an effect of making wealthy people and efficient
company’s to grow more and step up, while poor people and those with less
advantages and less opportunity to get stuck and unable to move on in life. This
difficulty is the main factor of all the huge amount of poverty that we found
nowadays. People without an education, places to sleep, clothe, medicines, or
even worst humans without the basic resource to survive in life: water. But
this is not the only thing that has change at this time; strong diseases
without cure such as cancer had born, killing thousands of persons around the
world. Many country’s around the world such as Israel, South Africa, Syria,
Jordanian and other places specially in the Middle East are in alert because
the war factor; millions of dollars are invested in arms, bombs, and nuclear
weapons which affect millions of citizens that die every day, instead of
spending money on a better education for kids in the country, helping the
poorness factor, or in contributions with the global contamination.
But
in this world those who are struggling are not alone in this world. There is
always that kind of special people that had a kind, strong and sensitive heart
that are willing to take an action and really DO something, this is the kind of
people that not only feel pity, they move on and specially take actions. Its
here where the Social Activist Groups start to grow and become known, which are
groups whom goal is to promote, impede, or direct social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms
from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing businesses, rallies,
street marches, strikes, sit-ins, and hunger strikes.
For this work I was researching in
some of all the many Social Activist groups that help others in need. But among
all of them, “Action Against Hunger”/(ACF) was the one that called my attention
the most, because of their goal, the way they work, and specially their huge
impact around the world, for example: 850,000 people received support from ACF
across the Horn of Africa in 2011; 585,000 Ugandans benefited from their food security programs
in 2011 or also 51,000 people were saved from deadly hunger in D.R. Congo in
2011 which was a new record for ACF.
Action
Against Hunger which is a Non-Profit Organization, it’s a global humanitarian
organization recognized as a leader in the fight
against ending world hunger, works to
save the lives of malnourished children while providing communities with access
to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger. With more than 4,600 humanitarian
professionals working in more than 40 countries around the world, their
technical teams and program staff deliver high-impact programs in nutrition, food security & livelihoods, and water, sanitation, & hygiene. Among
all the 40 countries where they provide all this advantages and opportunities
there are 20 places in Africa, 7 places in America, 14 cities in Asia and 3
countries’ in the Middle East. Isn’t this Amazing?
While thinking on all of the impact
that this group make I was thinking on how do they find all the money necessary
to help all those country’s and places that they offer their service. I found
that besides charity and donation this Non-profit organization received
millions of dollars from their partnership with some of the biggest company’s
around the world like for example: Tyco, Ultimate Vodka, Financial Times,
Captive Network, Global X Funds, etc.
Putting
this is Butler and Adorno words, I can identify this group as a “Collective
WE”, or a collective entity that interrogates and share a common issue. The
CEO, executive president and vice-president together with all the others
members of the ACF staff form a community that is uncomfortable by the hunger
issue worldwide. They create a Social Activist Website in the name of the
organization in order to persuade others to feel what they feel, and to try to
touch others heart in order to convince us to be part of their community. Their
Website is not hard to find at all since because of their popularity, its one
of the first websites that appear while searching something regarding this
topic. The most amazing thing about it is that at the moment that you enter
this website is like if you enter to a whole new world that you have never
experience before.
The
first thing that comes to my mind when I get into the website is the colors,
font, and catchy phrases that they use. As we know using shiny colors and
catchy phrases serves as advertising and marketing strategy to any company in
order to get the target market attention. “Action Against Hunger” use a merge
of shiny green and orange among their website which are the colors of growth,
harmony, freshness, and fertility and orange that is associated with joy,
happiness, energy, success and stimulation which are the goals in some sense we
can see this adjectives as part of the goals of the organization. They know
that their target will not read all their information if they post tons of
information with a little font size, so instead they use catchy phrases such as
“Be a Hunger fighter”, “Give a child a HEALTHY start”, “If YOU can make a
change, then make it” or even stronger like “Children’s dying from hunger don’t
need you to have pity for them, they need your help”. Phrases and words like
this are the ones that touch and move you, and specially make you think, “Ok,
lets keep reading what this is all about, and how can I help this children”.
Numbers
and Pictures and what this site is known for. Persuading other is not something
easy to do, but using shocking information and pictures can help a lot. Action
Against Hunger (ACF) works hard so that through this site make you think how
you can help and make a HUGE difference in the lives of the children’s and baby’s
that are struggling because of their lack of basics human resources. They try
to make us see way beyond of our luxury lives and show us that those persons
are really passing a hard a time. And finally they try to makes us feel the
harm, poorness and pain that they feel. In order to persuade us in those 3 ways
their website is full of shocking pictures of kids dying in Africa because of
malnutrition, or little baby’s skinny body’s that had lost their lives because
of the lack of water and milk. Besides this pictures there is a button in the
website that by making a click on it, it will link you another tab where you
will see real facts of the amount of places that they had help, the quantity of
kids that they have safe, and also another interesting thing that is statistics
of how every cent that people donate is spent to help fight against hunger.
Going back to the shocking pictures that I mention before, and I cant stop
mention that for me that is the most captive and what attracts more about the
website. After people watch does images there is no way back and you cannot
take them out your mind; but worst of that is having the pictures of kids dying
in front of you and the “DONATE NOW” option right above the picture which gives
a feeling of guiltiness and makes me/us think that we should do something and
take action about it before logging out of the site. This is in some way the
effect that has the pictures on people, and is very hard for the heart but
effective.
Many
persons have the strong idea in their minds that they should not give away the
money that they work so hard to get in donation for others. That’s why I
thought it was very impressive that “Action against Hunger” is an organization
where not only does who have money or the opportunity to donate something can
participate, instead everyone who has feelings for this people and are willing
to give part of their time to help others in need can be part of it. In terms
of the website this is reflected by an option in the very top of the page that
says Take Action. By clicking on it a persons can see all the options they have
to help, for example: Donate, Fundraise, which is basically: “spreading
awareness of Action Against Hunger and the important work we’re doing
worldwide. We’ve built a special platform for you, called My Action Against Hunger to sign up to take YOUR action against hunger.
Whatever you’re doing, hosting an event, running a marathon, or celebrating a
birthday you have the capacity to be an incredible fundraiser.” Also Becoming a
Partner, Attend an event and support Action Against Hunger's nutrition and
disaster relief work around the world and also getting involved in the Student
Center which is where students and educators can learn more about global
hunger, how hunger is affected by current events and what young people across
the nation are doing to fight deadly hunger.
Another
aspect of the Social Activist Website that I think that is very well done and
organize is the option in the site that says “HUNGER”. While going in there you
will find all the information about what is hunger, what are the different
types of hunger, and how do they treat, fight and combat each type of
malnutrition in children’s. I found very difficult to be part of something that
you don’t really understand what is it, and what does it fight for, that’s why
I though a very good idea to explain the public what exactly hunger and
malnutrition means in order to really understand what this people is passing through,
the severeness and the gravity. In the
other hand it is also important to know all the work around the world that the
organization is part of, and that’s why the share with their public and target
a link that will show you all the “IMPACT” that ACF have in different
country’s, all the campaigns that they have done and all the big programs that
they have develop. While reading this you will find out if this is the type of
organization that you would like to donate money or engage with it. Among their
impacts there was one that really persuade me a lot, and was the one that
really get into my mind and makes me think that there is something really big
happening out there and that I could not just stand idly.
Unfortunately nowadays almost a billion people on the
planet don’t have access to clean drinking water. A third of the world’s
population lives without basic sanitation infrastructure like a toilet. Every day 4,000 children die from illnesses like
diarrhea, dysentery, and cholera caused by dirty water and unhygienic living
conditions. ACF can’t fight malnutrition without tackling the diseases that
contribute to it. “As part of our integrated approach to hunger, we’re getting
safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services to communities in need all over
the world.” This is the organization impact that really called my attention the
most, since it also kept me thinking on how many times a day I personally waste
big amount of clean water while other where dying because a lack of it.
On
things leads you to another, and the site goes on and on giving you more and
more accurate date about of all what they did, in order to maintain the public
in alert. Their honesty is something to admire, and the hardness of their work
is something to reward for. Everyone will feel this way when you read all the
actions that they have made. The website also linked you to a page where they
show you in order everything that they plan to do for the next days, weeks and
month so you can later see the improvement in the areas in which they have worked. But is unforgettable
that no matter to how many pages they have linked you the “DONATE NOW” button
will always appear in big and shinny at the top of the page; making you always
feel that no matter how little you donation it is, it will help more that you
can ever imagine. What I like about this idea is that “Action Against Hunger”
is made that anyone no matter you social-economic
class is able you support the cause.
Its important to never forget that
when a “collective WE” that shares a common issue, and is ready to fight it
putting their heart and soul there is nothing that can stop them. ACF is an
organization that started many years ago with only at the very first 25
persons, but because of their popularity, sincerity and human values they reach
to a number of 4,600 of experts in this issue as part of the staff. They all are different persons, with
different mentalities, from different parts around the world but what brings
them together is their collective mission that they share “Action Against
Hunger (ACF) International is a global humanitarian organization committed to
ending world hunger.” Trying to persuade others, as I mention before and now
again, is not an easy thing, but the truth is that they have persuade in every
sense making me feel and see as same as they. In my opinion what they want us
to see is that there are really horrible things happening in the 21st
century that we should be aware of, and that this issue needs from us (the
educated people with good economic resources) to help the fight and combat this
struggles.
In another
way that this Activist group persuade me is that they also kept me thinking on
something that I once read on a document by Chris Rock: “We got so much food in America we're allergic to food. Allergic to
food! Hungry people ain't allergic to shit. You think anyone in Rwanda's got a
fucking lactose intolerance?!” When someone first read it could be ironic and
even very funny, but if you analyze this passage more deeply, will understand
that really god to some of us give us a lot, and this website merge to this
quote makes me thing that is our mission to share what we have to others, and
that not everyone have what we have. Lets always remember that the world is
round and that “What goes around, comes around”; today is our moment to share
and help others, and we don’t know if tomorrow we will need the help of others.
It’s hard to conclude in something
that there is so much to write about, but if I listed all the amazing things
about the Action Against Huger Website I think I will never end. There are so
much incredible things about it that you really want to be part of it and
contact them. Information is hard to locate, it’s very straightforward and it’s
very clear what their goal, purpose, mission and vision is all about. In my 18
years of life I have never feel that I REALLY wanted to help for a worldwide
good cause. As a fast action and to start engaging with it I give a donation of
$62.00 and I subscribe to receive all the information about the upcoming
events. But do you really want to now how they make me feel? They make me feel
as an adult that has power in his hands to do something, to change something
and to fight for something.
I hope that everyone that logs in
this website will fulfill his soul with love and kindness and that a feeling of
contribution will grow up inside of every person that has more advantages than
this poor children does!
Works Cited
"Action Against Hunger | ACF-USA - Ending
World Hunger & Malnutrition." Action
Against Hunger. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/>.
"Quotes About Hunger." (114 Quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov.
2012. <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/hunger>.
"ACF's Impact in 2011." Action Against Hunger. N.p., n.d.
Web. 25 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/impact/acfs-impact-2011>.
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