www.cafod.org.uk

Form time reflections, stories and questions on the theme of food

Form time activities

‘For I was hungry and you gave me to eat...in so far as you did this to one of the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.’Matthew 25

In places where there isn’t enough food, young children are particularly at risk. We give highly nutritious food supplements to children under five who are going hungry, and often to pregnant women and new mothers as well.

Emergency Food

CAFOD is part of Caritas International, which has appealed for 10.3 million Euros to respond to the crisis in five Sahel countries. These appeals are providing relief directly to approximately 700,000 people, as well as indirectly to a much wider circle of beneficiaries also running into the hundreds of thousands.

The Sahel region, Western Africa

What is your favourite food? Which foods do we need to eat and which are less important? How easy is it for you to eat the foods you need to stay healthy?

1 in 4 children in developing countries are underweight

‘It is not God’s will for

some to have everything and others to have nothing.’

Oscar Romero

We are helping communities in vulnerable regions to have enough food and make a better living.

Where people are living in areas that may be prone to disasters such as floods and cyclones, we are providing training in seed collection, and farming so that families can work with their land to try to withstand disasters.

Making a better living through farming

“Now the crop is always successful.

The income I get from the garden means that I can spend extra money on my children.”

Bijoli, Bangladesh

Imagine if you didn’t know whether you would have a meal today.

How different would your day be?

One person in seven will go to bed hungry tonight.

‘When you give a lunch or dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relations

or neighbours, in case they invite you back and so repay you. No, when you have a

party invite the poor, the crippled, the

lame, the blind, then you will be blessed.’Luke 14

When a food crisis strikes - like during a drought or after a flood - we make sure people have enough to eat. That might mean delivering food packs, or giving people cash or vouchers so that they can buy food for themselves.

Responding to emergencies

“I have been able to feed my family and buy a goat that gives my family milk on a daily basis which lessens the problems of surviving a drought situation in our area.”

John, Kenya

What are your experiences of sharing food at home?

When do you share food as a family?

Are there special times when you will sit down together to share and celebrate with food?

Hunger is the world’s number 1 health risk. It affects more people every year than malaria, tuberculosis and AIDs combined.

‘Give us this day our daily bread.’Luke 11

We are helping farmers to improve their crops, care for the environment, cut costs, and learn from each other, and these sustainable farming techniques are helping to transform people’s lives.

Caring for the environment

“I got involved in the groups because I like what they do. What I hope for, from the work of the JDS, is that we get support to have a fish pond.”

Karen, El Salvador

There is enough food in the world for everyone, but only if we share.

Does it seem fair to you that some people have a lot and others have nothing at all?

We need to challenge the injustice to help make the world a fairer place.

‘On this mountain, for all peoples, the Lord is

preparing a banquet of rich food.’Isaiah 25

Tackling hunger in the long term

 We want to help people grow or buy food themselves. This might mean providing tools and seeds for farmers, or a boat to help people catch fish.

It often means working with poor families find new ways of earning money, so that they can afford to eat more healthily in the future.

“Having a vegetable garden has doubled our income. I grow tomatoes and rape. I sell the tomatoes but the rape is for us to eat.

I managed to buy a mattress for my children to sleep on last month thanks to the nutrition garden. “

Winfreda, Zambia

Have you ever felt really hungry?How did it feel?What did it then feel like to have a meal?

925 million people in our world do not have enough to eat.