Asia

A young boy on a farm in Afghanistan Photo: Cpl. Jeffrey Scarmazzi/US Marine Corps

Is the Hunger Challenge in Asia-Pacific Going Unnoticed?

by Meha Pumbay The Diplomat December 27, 2016

The FAO recently published a report about the Asia-Pacific region’s troubles in achieving zero hunger by 2030, a Sustainable Development Goal. Hunger has increased in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Pumbay explores these countries...

Indian villagers queuing outside a bank as they waited to deposit and exchange 500 and 1,000 rupee notes in Hanuman Ganj village on the outskirts of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. Photo: Sanjay Kanojia/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Indian villagers queuing outside a bank as they waited to deposit and exchange 500 and 1,000 rupee notes in Hanuman Ganj village on the outskirts of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.  Photo: ©  Sanjay Kanojia/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Indians rush frantically to launder their black money

by Geeta Anand New York Times November 28, 2016

MUMBAI, India — Indians’ ingenuity is being mightily tested as they rush to save their “black money,” stashes of hundreds of thousands, even millions, of rupees they have accumulated without paying taxes. "...

The Indian 1000 rupee note that must be exchanged for new currency. Photo: Government of India
The Indian 1000 rupee note that must be exchanged for new currency.  Photo: Government of India

How Narenda Modi of India plans to wipe out black market money

by Geeta Anand New York Times November 28, 2016

In one of the most audacious experiments in India’s modern histor...

Ginni Mahi at her home with a Punjabi folk instrument called a “thumbi.” Photo: Rama Lakshmi/The Washington Post
Ginni Mahi at her home with a Punjabi folk instrument called a “thumbi.” A new song, Danger Chamar, flaunting her caste pride has become something of an anthem for many young people in India’s marginalized lower caste communities. Photo: Rama Lakshmi/The Washington Post

Lower caste Indian singer embraces centuries-old slur. Caste pride is driving her success.

by Rita Lakshimi Washington Post October 9, 2016

For centuries in India, the hateful slur was hurled at the lower caste community of leather tanners, regarded as “untouchables.” Now the younger generation in the community is embracing the word:...

A dam along the Cauvery river. Photo: Thangaraj Kumaravel
A dam along the Cauvery river. When drought occurs there is not enough river water for all who use it, leading to disputes.  This picture of the Grand Anaicut dam in Tamil Nadu state was taken in 2012, when water levels were higher.  Photo:   © Thangaraj Kumaravel

Why water war has broken out in India’s Silicon Valley

by T.S. Sudhir BBC September 15, 2016

Violence has broken out in India's technology hub Bangalore in Karnataka state over a long-running dispute about water. Protesters are angry at a Supreme Court ruling ordering Karnataka to share water from the Cauvery river with neighboring Tamil Nad...

Photo: © Farid Ahmed/IRIN
A farmer inspects his flood-damaged rice crop in Manikanj District.  Farmers who’ve lost crops are unable to pay back loans, but must borrow more to prepare for the next growing season. Government assistance is totally inadequate to address the problem.  Photo: ©  Farid Ahmed/IRIN (Click to see larger photo.)

Bangladeshi farmers drown in debt as floods destroy crops

by Farid Ahmed IRIN September 10, 2016

Months of flooding have wiped out entire villages and crops in Bangladesh, pushing farmers deeper into a cycle of debt that they can’t escape without more government help. About 4.2 million people have been affected by flooding in at least 19 distr...

  • World Hunger Education
    Service
    P.O. Box 29015
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  • For the past 40 years, since its founding in 1976, the mission of World Hunger Education Service is to undertake programs, including Hunger Notes, that
    • Educate the general public and target groups about the extent and causes of hunger and malnutrition in the United States and the world
    • Advance comprehension which integrates ethical, religious, social, economic, political, and scientific perspectives on the world food problem
    • Facilitate communication and networking among those who are working for solutions
    • Promote individual and collective commitments to sustainable hunger solutions.