Many children may think that people are hungry because there isn't enough food in the world to go round. Many people in the world can't afford to buy the food they need, even though it is readily available in shops or markets. To encourage children to appreciate that people in the world may go hungry because they do not have money to buy food or land to grow it on. This activity will help children to appreciate that most people in the UK get their food from shops and that they need money to do so, and that some people grow crops or keep livestock and so can feed themselves. Ask groups to discuss each of the statements in turn and to say in their own words what they think that person is saying about why they are hungry.
Pupils can then brainstorm their suggestions onto a class list.
Although children may automatically assume that the major problem with lack of food is starvation, in fact this is an extreme and relatively rare problem. A far more common problem is that people do not have enough to eat over a period of time and may become malnourished, weak and ill. Eight hundred million people in the world are malnourished and two billion have a diet which does not contain enough essential vitamins and minerals. To encourage children to appreciate the distinction between hunger, starvation, and malnutrition. What to do Start by discussing the meanings of hunger, starvation, famine and malnutrition with the pupils, building on their own experience.