Christmas Without Hunger hands out 2 thousand tons of food countrywide
The campaign Natal sem Fome (“Christmas Without Hunger”), of the NGO Ação da Cidadania (“Citizenship Action”), is celebrating its third decade in existence with the largest collection in the last three years: 2 thousand tons of food will be distributed to families all over Brazil starting Thursday (Dec. 21), benefiting over 800 thousand people.
Households with children under the age of 10 will be given priority in the delivery. According to research by Rede Penssan, 37.8 percent of households with children struggle with moderate to severe food insecurity. In addition, hunger doubled in families with children under 10, from 9.4 percent in 2020 to 18.1 percent in 2022. In 2021, according to research institute Fiocruz, eight children under the age of one were taken to hospital for lack of food every day.
“Unfortunately, Brazil is back on the Hunger Map, and now we have a long way to go to reverse this situation again. With Ação da Cidadania, we decided to start with children who suffer from malnutrition from a very young age, some of them silently due to the lack of diagnosis or the profound and irreversible impact that children’s brains suffer from food deprivation. How can you expect someone to be able to learn and do well at school if they’re hungry? In the future, this could lead to fewer job opportunities, lower productivity, and lower wages. Letting hunger prevent children from making their dreams come true is a violation of human dignity, especially in a country as rich and productive as Brazil,” the executive director of Ação da Cidadania, Rodrigo “Kiko” Afonso, said in a statement.
With the theme “This Christmas, the best gift is your solidarity,” Ação da Cidadania will distribute nearly 400 tons of food and mineral water in Rio de Janeiro alone, where the NGO is headquartered. Bahia, in this first stage, will receive more than nine tons, followed by Pernambuco, with 7.5 tons. São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Pará come next, with six tons each. Paraná, Rondônia, Roraima, Espírito Santo, and Amapá will each receive four tons. Amazonas, which is still dealing with the consequences of the heavy rains, has been allocated six tons, mostly donated by companies. Deliveries will be made until the end of the year in all 26 states and the Federal District.
Hailed as the largest food collection campaign in Latin America, Natal sem Fome was conceived in 1993 by sociologist Herbert de Souza, popularly known as Betinho. That same year, Ação da Cidadania was born, which has since collected more than 55 thousand kilos of food and distributed them to 26 million people.
In Rio de Janeiro, in addition to the food, Ação da Cidadania will also be distributing for the first time 20 thousand copies of the book Muito Prazer, Sou o Betinho (“Nice to meet you, I’m Betinho”), which tells the story of the sociologist who fought against hunger and poverty. Written by José Roberto Torero and launched in 2021 by Editora Moderna, the book introduces new generations to Betinho’s legacy and his active involvement in human rights, his days being persecuted during the dictatorship, and the fight against AIDS.
To children living in Rio’s metropolitan region, the NGO will also deliver 4 thousand toys donated by companies. Dolls, bears, and robots, which represent the message of Natal sem Fome 2023, will be handed out along with the food baskets according to the population of children served by the partner organizations.
