13 OCTOBER 2018

Saturday, 13 October 2018
Daily Tribune
LIFESTYLE 19
TOM Barbitta,
chief marketing
officer of Rise
Against Hunger.
Campaign aims to end hunger
One in nine persons suffers from hunger; that’s
about 795 million children, women and men that do
not have enough food to eat
By Ma. Glaiza Lee, Contributor
We all know that feeling of hunger. You feel a sense of hollowness or
tightness in the stomach, followed by sounds of growling. After skipping
a meal, some munch all day but never feel too full. There is that gnawing
sense that the body’s needs have not been fully met. And that’s just for
skipping a meal or two.
Imagine how you would feel if you starved every single day. Multiply
that stabbing and gnawing pain in the stomach by a hundredfold, and
that’s how people who lack access to food feel.
One in nine persons suffer from hunger; that’s about 795 million
children, women and men that do not have enough food to eat. All over the
world, the situation is worse where food is produced, mainly in rural areas.
Roughly 98 percent comes from the developing countries — 511 million
in Asia and Pacific region, 232 million in Africa and the rest from other
parts of the world. Five out of the eight countries with alarming situations
of hunger are from Africa.
After numerous efforts and programs, the world has seen a decline
in the number of people affected by hunger in the past years; however,
according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World
2017, there has been an increase of about 38 million more people than
the previous year, largely due to the proliferation of violent conflicts,
compounded by the climate change and other factors.
The report was the first global assessment on food security and
nutrition released after the adoption of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development, which aims to end hunger and all forms of
malnutrition by 2030.
In the joint foreword on the report, the heads of the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) the World Food Programme (WFP)
and the World Health Organization (WHO) stressed that some of the
highest proportions of food-insecure and malnourished children in the
36th Sogo opens
As part of the hotel chain’s aggressive expansion, Hotel
Sogo Yabut was formally opened for business recently.
The management celebrated the official opening of the branch
with a Holy Mass, led by Fr. Romeo Castro of Christ the King
Seminary. It was followed by a ribbon-cutting headed by Hotel
Sogo Yabut manager Cris Arman Velasco, sector head Juanito
Co and marketing manager Maria Suzette Geminiano.
It was capped with a motorcade to Kalayaan Ave. via the
streets of Ramon Magsaysay Ave. and Nuestra Sra. De Guadalupe
where flyers and different merchandise were given away as
souvenirs.
The hotel continues to grow and innovate as new branches
are situated in strategic locations with top-class services at
affordable rates. The company will open its 37th and 38th
branches this year in Alabang and Makati Ave, respectively.
Hotel Sogo Yabut is located along Sgt. Fabian Yabut St.,
Guadalupe, Makati City. For inquiries, contact 816-2980 or
816-2979.
In photo (from left) are Juanito Co, Hotel Sogo sector head; Fr. Romeo
Castro, and Maria Suzette Geminiano, marketing manager.
world are now concentrated in conflict zones.
“Over the past decade, conflicts have risen dramatically in
number and become more complex and intractable in nature.
This has set off alarm bells we cannot afford to ignore: we will
not end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030 unless
we address all the factors that undermine food security and
nutrition. Securing peaceful and inclusive societies is a necessary
condition to that end,” they said.
Hunger relief possible
Despite this bleak report, Rise Against Hunger, an international
hunger relief non-profit organization that distributes food and
life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable, believes that
ending hunger by 2030 is possible.
The Rise Against Hunger launched the “This Is Possible”
campaign in the Philippines, along with the “Beacons of Joy,”
at the Conrad Hotel Manila. Outside the launch, hundreds of
passersby witnessed the campaign video displayed at the Mall
of Asia Globe.
We will not end hunger and all forms of
malnutrition by 2030 unless we address all
the factors that undermine food security and
nutrition.
“This Is Possible,” a global movement to end
world hunger, was first launched in February
2018 in New York City, with thousands of people
signed their pledges to end hunger. The campaign
was created to build awareness and drive a global
movement to end hunger by the year 2030. So
far, the initiative has also been launched in Italy,
Malaysia, India and South Africa.
In line with its 20th anniversary, the Beacons
of Joy, meanwhile, aims to shine the light on those
who have made extraordinary efforts in rising
against hunger and bringing joy and relief to
communities across the country.
RAH Philippines, led by its executive
director Jomar Fleras, works to meet immediate
nutritional needs today and empower the
ability to build strong, resilient communities
tomorrow. Since its inception, Rise Against
Hunger Philippines has packaged over 252 million
meals.
In 2014, Rise Against Hunger opened a
dedicated location in the Philippines, following
the devastating aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda.
In 2018, the organization established the Good
Food Grocer, the country’s first food bank sells
nutritious food at discount prices, as well as
distributes food to informal settlers and children
in daycare centers.
The organization is committed to nourishing
lives, providing emergency aid, empowering
communities, and growing the hunger
movement. Rise Against Hunger has
facilitated meal packaging of more than 409 million
meals to be distributed to countries around the world.
Given the exponential rise
of gaming and esports in the
country, the need for spaces
where gamers can congregate
has also increased. The local
cybercafé industry needs to step
up their game to keep up with the
demands of their clientele.
Ground Zero Esports Lounge,
located in Xentro Mall, Antipolo,
aims to be the one-stop-shop for
the gamer looking for a high-end
gaming experience.
With impressive PC specs,
wide-ranging dining options and
an upscale ambiance, Ground
Zero is the perfect hangout for
gamers and non-gamers alike.
The gaming hub has an
expansive menu with specialty
gaming-themed dishes and drinks,
complete from appetizers to
desserts, cocktails and coffee. For
those who prefer to watch rather
than play, there are 15 units of
55-inch TV streaming the most
prestigious esports tournaments.
The names behind Ground
Zero are also forerunners in the
local cybercafé industry. Eric
Redulfin of TNC Cyber Café says
it best: “We want to provide a
place where the gamers, their
families and friends can gather.
Here in Ground Zero they can
meet and they will be able to find
offerings that will pique their
interest.”
The venue’s 87 regular PC units
are armed with cutting-edge specs
at the price of P60 per hour. The
VIP areas are equipped with 10
Acer Predator G1’s with NVIDIA
GTX 1080 GPUs at P80 per hour.
jomar Flores, Rise Against Hunger Philippines executive director.
“Our mission is to end hunger in our lifetime, and the first real step is to
activate a worldwide movement. It will take the help and support from the
global community to accomplish this goal, but with participation, financial
contribution, volunteerism and heart, each person can change the life
of another and put an end to suffering from starvation,” said Rise
Against Hunger chief marketing officer Tom Barbitta.
Proper distribution
More than just packaging and distributing nutritious meals,
the organization aims to create sustainable food system through
the Pathways to Hunger, following the UN Agenda.
“The global food production is sufficient to feed the
world population, but it is not distributed properly due to
various reasons. There’s war and conflicts, which displaces
people from their homes and makes it impossible for them
to cultivate food sources,” said Barbitta.
The world economic situation causes food prices to rise,
preventing low-income families from buying food supplies. Global
warming and environmental phenomena also drive the resurgence
of hunger and malnutrition.
Even in regions that don’t suffer from political conflicts, hunger
and malnutrition are prevalent. Droughts, floods, earthquakes and
typhoons, among others resulted to food deprivation and insecurity
among their peoples.
“Pathways to eliminate hunger include making our food system
sustainable, which means creating an agricultural system that is
sustainable and climate-compatible. It also requires diversified food
production,” shared Fleras.
Movement to end rural poverty should be intensified. It
involves increasing livelihood sources and creating employment
opportunities in the rural areas.
Also, minimize food losses during production and wastage.
There is a need to empower the consumers on their purchasing
choices, while making retailers and producers to invest in
sustainable production.
To learn how to get involved, visit riseagainsthungerphilippines.org.
Gaming hub for the whole family
THE newest gaming hub in town. Ground Zero, offers entertainment options
for everyone.
The entire venue is equipped
with 2,300 mpbs of Internet as
well, ensuring no connectivity
issues and smooth, lag-free
games and ultra-fast upload and
download speeds.