India’s Youth Speaks Out Against Hunger

India has taken giant steps in the past decade, making it the largest democracy and the second fastest-growing economy in the world. Yet still today, about one-quarter of the world’s hungry population is in India. Take a look at how the young Indians are taking matters into their own hands.

It was issues like food insecurity and hunger that concerned Anshul Tewari, a young journalist who had just finished his undergraduate studies. As he became more aware of national and global issues and their lack of progress, he decided that he needed to adopt a more proactive approach if he wanted to see changes. So he started Youth Ki Awaaz, which was a way he could express himself and raise awareness among India’s youth. Turns out, millions of others shared his views and frustrations on various topics like world hunger. The blog grew with other young advocates who wanted to be informed and discuss their own opinions on current issues. Since its founding in March 2008, YouthKiAwaaz (YKA) has launched several political and developmental campaigns and continues to be one of the most popular blogs for social causes in the country.
In addition to maintaining the YKA blog, Tewari also contributes to the Indian bureau of the Wall Street Journal where he has participated in a debate of whether or not food security is a basic human right. Here, Tewari explained how, in principle, food security should be a basic right, but implementing an effective policy is where shortcomings occur. You see, the road to a hunger-free world is full of political, environmental, and economic obstacles preventing people from getting adequate nourishment.
Every year the WFP reaches almost 2 million beneficiaries in India, distributing more than 280,000 tons of food over the past five years. YKA is helping WFP in the fight against hunger by raising awareness through its website and attracting young, change-seeking bloggers from around the globe. These are the voices that can make our dream a reality. YouthKiAwaaz and WFP are working together to encourage millions of youth to unite, campaign, and advocate for the changes they want to see during their lifetime.

Click here to read the YouthKiAwaaz article on world hunger and its relationship with the World Food Programme.