“Action against hunger and poverty” is again making its presence known in the international political arena. Colombia isn’t immune to the enormous problems suggested by the name of the group. Alvaro Uribe, the current president of Colombia, will comment on this matter in two short days.

Colombia is unfortunately home to alarmingly high rates of malnutrition, as evidenced by average height and weight indexes. The last census (Encuesta Nacional de Demografía y Salud) – or ENDS as it is known in Spanish – from the year 2000, shows that fourteen percent of children younger than 5 face growth and development problems.

The issue seems to be sociological: there are many strong arguments that show that hunger and misery runs rampant in Colombia. Recently, a local newspaper published information that nearly 600,000 residents of Bogota are suffering from some kind of malnutrition. The article also shows that in rural areas, the rate of malnutrition is significantly higher. It can also be shown that younger, displaced people are more severely affected by food shortages.

Translation : C.A. Hancock