Focolare Movement

Step by step towards “Zero Hunger”

Jan 2, 2019

Think big and begin small, look at the world but start from your own neighbourhood

Think big and begin small, look at the world but start from your own neighbourhood

All over the world, the Teens for unity have started to come up with ideas and give life to the project «Zero Hunger», with the support of the FAO who is encouraging especially the youth and teens to personally commit themselves to realize. In Mumbai in India too the starting point was to identify the poor if the city. Poor not only of material things but also those poor in health, friendship. After meeting around eighty teens afflicted with Aids who are living in situations of dire poverty, the Teens for unity wrote a letter to 600 families of various religions who live in the enormous condominiums in the area, explaining to them their dream of a world without hunger and proposing a used newspaper collection which would then be sold to generate funds. More than 50 families agreed to join the action expressing their gratitude for this project. The activity was repeated, encouraged precisely by the families in the neighborhood. Now other groups in many parts of India are repeating similar activities. If we are able to do an activity for an entire neighbourhood, why not involve the entire Town? This was the idea of three brothers from Cesate in Lombardy, Italy, who presented their idea to the Mayor: to make Cesate a «Zero Hunger Town»! Together with her, they thought of activating a synergy among the Town, the parish and the school, extending the project also to nearby Towns. The teens talked to the parish priest and to the priest responsible for the oratory about Project «Zero Hunger» who were very happy about the proposal. They planned a strategy to reduce wastage in their refectories. With regards to the schools instead, a group of teens in Lebanonthey have planned that every year on October 16, the World Day of Nutrition, they will organize a «Zero Hunger Day» to encourage the reduction of wastage during meals.

It is precisely in synergy with the organizations in the city that this action brought ahead by teens from Lebanon started. In collaboration with Caritas, they gathered together more than sixty elderly who live in situations of solitude and financial difficulty. They prepared and served them lunch and organized dances and games. At the conclusion, one of the young girls asked the animator of their group if they could do this every week. «But we need a big budget to do this» she replied. «You adults – the young girl said – always think about big projects, but we must begin with small gestures». Involving one of her friends and other adults, they began a small activity: they prepare a meal together every two weeks which they bring to a family in difficulty, spending the afternoon with them.

Anna Lisa Innocenti

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