Someone -a guest lecturer at one of my international nutrition classes actually- once asked me: "If you could have one wish granted towards solving the problem of hunger in the world, what would it be?" Almost without thinking I blurted out - "Education for every girl". He didn't seem very impressed with my answer (apparently that wasn't quite where he was going) but I really didn't care. I felt very strongly then (and still do) that until we are able to offer that to the world, everything else we do is simply just a waste of precious time and resources. Okay I take that back; maybe not a total waste, but perhaps not the most prudent use of available resources. I have nothing against short term interventions towards ending hunger (afterall we don't want the girl to die of malnutrition while we're busy trying to educate her). Still my grouse against food aid, and all other measures like it, is that they shift focus and energy from long term, sustainable solutions to things that haven't exactly gotten us anywhere. Most of us are familiar with the saying - give a man a fish and you've fed him for a day; teach him to fish, and you've fed him for a lifetime.
Some weeks after I was served that question, I stumbled on this website on facebook - 'The Girl Effect'. Apparently there are other humans as wise as I who walk this earth. What a relief. Seriously though, if you've never heard of The Girl Effect It's a move started by probably some of the wisest people in the world. The central idea is to ensure education for every girl child and thus educate every nation, thereby reducing the problem of world hunger to almost nil.
If you're like some friends of mine and you're wondering what the heck girl education or women empowerment has to do with hunger, just click here to learn more.
When you're done educating yourself about the topic, go out there and do whatever little you can to educate a girl; any girl.
I think your answer was great! Only close minded people will not understand the value of women education and empowerment in just about every field of life.
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