[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 30, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2560-S2561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMBATING GLOBAL HUNGER
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I would like to discuss global
hunger. From April 28 to May 2, people across the United States and
across the globe are participating in the Live Below the Line campaign
to raise awareness for global hunger and to show support for the
critical programs that seek to alleviate hunger. Participants in the
Live Below the Line campaign, including many of my constituents in
Maryland, are subsisting on $1.50 a day to demonstrate the challenges
faced by millions of people each day. Right now, more than 1.2 billion
people involuntarily live on less than $1.50 a day for food and drink.
Children are particularly vulnerable to hunger and undernourishment.
Studies show a child's entire life is shaped by whether or not she or
he receives proper nutrition during the first 1,000 days of her or his
life. And tragically, 3.1 million children under the age of 5 die each
year as a result of poor nutrition and hunger.
When we think of global hunger, we often think of Sub-Saharan Africa
where 223 million people, 24.8 percent of the population, face food
insecurity. Or we think of Asia, where more than 500
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million people suffer from hunger. In Laos, for example, 50 percent of
children under the age of 5 are chronically malnourished. And in Burma,
it is estimated that about 35 percent of children are undernourished
and stunted.
But hunger is not just a problem for developing countries. Families
across America and in my home State of Maryland are also struggling.
According to the latest U.S. department of Agriculture report on
Household Food Security in the United States, 12.5 percent of all
households in Maryland were food insecure between 2009 and 2011, and
more than 27 percent of children in Maryland are living in poverty.
Proper nutrition is not just important to individual health, it is
critical to the long-term health and success of nations. Poor nutrition
and rampant hunger results in a less healthy and less productive
workforce, hampers economic development and growth, and ultimately
perpetuates the cycle of hunger and poverty for successive generations.
It should not be that way; every child should have the opportunity to
grow up healthy and strong.
Thanks to organizations like the World Food Program USA and the
United Nations World Food Program, who together work to solve global
hunger, the number of hungry people in the world has fallen by 17
percent since 1990. And in 2013, the World Food Program provided 24
million school children in 60 different countries with meals at school.
This not only reduces undernourishment and hunger, but also
incentivizes school attendance. We need more programs like this, and we
need more people to be aware of this issue, both here in the United
States and abroad.
With the world population expected to increase to 9 billion by 2050,
transforming how people farm and what people eat is the only way, I
believe, to ensure food security for future generations.
We are making great strides in global food security, particularly
through the U.S. Feed The Future Initiative, which focuses on building
sustainability and resilience into communities by transforming how
people farm and what people eat.
In 2009, then-Secretary of State Clinton said,
We have the resources to give every person in the world the
tools they need to feed themselves and their children. So the
question is not whether we can end hunger. It's whether we
will.
Ending global hunger and poverty will not happen tomorrow, but if we
continue to coordinate with our global partners, harness the power of
the private sector and the NGO community, and use our development aid
in the most effective and transparent way possible, we will have much
better outcomes. The United States must be relentless in striving to
assure that no one goes hungry.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
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TRIBUTE TO TONY ZEISS
Mrs. HAGAN. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize a friend
of education, a passionate champion for job creation and innovation,
and a truly outstanding leader from North Carolina.
Dr. Tony Zeiss has served as the president of Central Piedmont
Community College in Charlotte, NC, since 1992. CPCC is an institution
familiar to many of my colleagues in this body. In January 2012, during
his State of the Union Address, the President held up the partnership
between CPCC and Siemens Energy as a model of customized training for
workforce development. Central Piedmont Community College was also
selected as the 2002 Community College of the Year by the National
Alliance of Business.
The community college's success is due, in large part, to Dr. Zeiss's
leadership and commitment to fostering innovation in workforce and
career development.
Dr. Zeiss is a native of Indiana and a proud alumnus of Indiana State
University, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees. He
received his doctorate degree in community college administration from
Nova Southeastern University.
Dr. Zeiss is passionate about his adopted home State of North
Carolina and the importance of making a difference in his community. He
has served on several local, regional, and national boards. He is the
past chair of the board of the American Association of Community
Colleges, past board chair for the League for Innovation, and was the
Association of Community College Trustees' National Chief Executive
Officer of the year for 2004-2005.
While it is evident he is deeply engaged in his community, the true
sources of strength for Dr. Zeiss are his wife Beth, his two sons, his
daughter-in-law, and his two grandchildren.
One of the first opportunities Dr. Zeiss sought out when he arrived
in North Carolina was participation in Leadership North Carolina, a
nonprofit organization that engages current and emerging leaders from
across the State through ongoing networking and service opportunities.
In 1995, Dr. Zeiss graduated from Leadership North Carolina as an
alumnus of Class I. In 2005, the LNC board of directors recognized his
contributions to the State by presenting him with the L. Richardson
Preyer Alumni Award, presented annually to an LNC alumnus whose
demonstrated leadership has made a significant improvement in the
quality of life, economic well-being, and/or sense of community in our
State.
Elected as chair of Leadership North Carolina in 2012, Dr. Zeiss has
brought his considerable leadership experience and passion as an
alumnus to strengthen the organization during his 2-year tenure. His
work has positioned the program for sustainability for years to come
and strengthened its reputation among leaders in business, government,
education, and the nonprofit sector. The measure of a good leader is
the legacy he or she leaves behind. Dr. Tony Zeiss leaves North
Carolina with 950 informed and engaged leaders and has challenged them
to leverage their influence for the benefit of our State and Nation.
On June 30 of this year, Dr. Tony Zeiss will complete his tenure as
chair of the Leadership North Carolina board of directors. We need
strong, effective, visionary leaders now more than ever. Dr. Zeiss's
service to Leadership North Carolina has been focused on promoting the
LNC program and soliciting financial support for its sustainability and
growth, all while engaging, challenging, and informing future leaders.
I join the board of directors of Leadership North Carolina in
recognizing Dr. Zeiss for his leadership, vision, and determination.
As a fellow parent and grandparent, I am grateful for the example Dr.
Zeiss has set for young people and the opportunities he has provided
through the gifts of education and leadership. He is the embodiment of
our State's motto, Esse Quam Videri, to be rather than to seem, and I
ask all my colleagues to join me in thanking Dr. Tony Zeiss for his
service to North Carolina.
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