David vs World Hunger
828 Million. That’s the number of people from across the world that go to bed hungry every night. The number of those facing acute food insecurity has soared – from 135 million to 345 million – since 2019. And a total of 50 million people in 45 countries are teetering on the edge of famine, a crisis that can be attributed to a deadly combination of four factors:
- 60 percent of the world’s hungry live in areas afflicted by war and violence. Events unfolding in Ukraine are further proof of how conflict feeds hunger, forcing people out of their homes and wiping out their sources of income.
- Climate shocks destroy lives, crops and livelihoods and undermine people’s ability to feed themselves.
- The economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are driving hunger to unprecedented levels.
- Costs are also at an all-time high: WFP’s monthly operating costs are US$73.6 million above their 2019 average – a staggering 44 percent rise. The extra now spent on operating costs would have previously fed 4 million people for one
Last week, our team had the opportunity to partner with Philadelphia-based philanthropists to take on world hunger in real-time. With only four days to turn this project around, we rallied behind this message in a way only Philly can. This “Rocky Versus the World” style animation stares world hunger down and reminds us that this is an issue we won’t back away from until it’s squashed.