Hunger With Ambitions to End It

Hunger With Ambitions to End It

Nov 23 , 2024. By Carolyn Kissane ( Founding director of the Energy, Climate & Sustainability Lab at NYU. )

I was returning from dropping my son off at school when I saw a young mother huddled on a rough stone by the roadside. Her infant was strapped securely to her back, and though she did not shout or actively solicit, her eyes carried an unspoken cry for help.

The indifference of the crowd contrasted with her quiet desperation. People hurried past with their faces buried in phones or fixed ahead, consumed by their priorities. The rush-hour frenzy—work deadlines, school drop-offs, and endless appointments—formed a wall of oblivion, shielding passersby from her raw reality. I felt a pang of guilt, sharp and immediate. I wanted to offer something but had only my phone—a symbol of the cashless world we now inhabit.

I wonder how homeless people who are on the streets survive in a world increasingly reliant on digital transactions. Poverty in urban areas blends into the background, overshadowed by the fast-paced routines. The quiet struggles of those in need are easily overlooked, leaving a pressing question: how do we bridge the gap between modern convenience and meaningful assistance in a cashless, technology-driven world?

Is a future without begging possible?

My thoughts turned to the recent A World Without Hunger Summit hosted just a short distance away. Leaders and economists gathered in a lavishly catered conference, to discuss how to eradicate it by 2030. Yet, on the very streets outside its venue, hunger sat visible, embodied by this young mother clutching her child. The contrast was as stark as it was painful.

Of course, their discussion was contingent upon mobilising up to 3.98 trillion dollars. Yet here we are six years short, and the enormity of that goal feels crushing while the optimism of the summit clashes harshly with reality. It demands an immense financial commitment.

My thoughts turned to the world’s wealthiest individuals, whose fortunes surpass the GDPs of entire nations. If they contributed just five percent of their wealth to fund job creation, infrastructure development, and industries that empower communities, would it solve the problem or not? Unlike one-time donations or fleeting acts of charity, systemic investments could create long-term solutions, breaking the cycle of dependence and poverty.

The question of whether such monumental sums truly reach those in need is another issue. Corruption casts a long shadow over efforts like these, raising fears that aid intended for the hungry might instead enrich the unscrupulous. The barriers—economic inequality, inflation, conflict, and war—seem insurmountable, dragging millions deeper into poverty. This mother’s plight played out under the shadow of high-rise buildings and summit banners, is not an isolated story—it is a mirror reflecting the disparities that define our world.

Just as I was lost in these thoughts, an elderly woman appeared with two loaves of bread, offering them with quiet insistence. The young mother hesitated but finally accepted, her gratitude unspoken but palpable.

The scene was striking. The elderly woman was far from comfortable herself and shared her meagre sustenance. Meanwhile, cars continued to speed by, their occupants oblivious to the quiet drama unfolding, their wealth offering no solace to the desperate mother. The contrast was grand: those with the means to help remained detached, while someone who could have used help herself extended a hand of compassion.

In a city of sharp contrasts, where the glittering ambition of eradicating hunger exists alongside its grim reality, the generosity of a frail woman carrying sticks became a lesson in humanity. Perhaps the road to ending hunger begins not in boardrooms or at international summits, but with simple acts of kindness—one person at a time.

Initiatives to eradicate hunger constantly clash with the visible struggles of individuals in need. The staggering financial commitments required spotlight the difficulty of addressing systemic issues. It raises questions about the effectiveness of large-scale efforts in tackling localised poverty.

PUBLISHED ON Nov 23,2024 [ VOL 25 , NO 1282]

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