“Value of food is only understood by one who is truly hungry.” – Ash Raghu
Do you know, every day, approx. 25,000 persons all over the globe, including more than 10,000 children, die due to hunger and conditions related to it? Closer home, hunger and malnutrition were stated to be the causes behind 69 percent of the deaths of children under the age of 5, according to a UNICEF report titled ‘State of the World’s Children‘ in 2019.
These statistics direct our attention towards ‘food and its value’ and the necessity to make our children aware of the same. At Delhi Public School, Sushant Lok, Gurgaon, positioned among the top CBSE schools in Gurgaon, we are of the opinion that merely making the kids eat healthily is not enough. It is even more important to make them aware of the problems like hunger and malnutrition persisting in our country. They must know how much hard work goes into getting each ounce of the food on the table.
‘Awareness’ is the key
Explain to your children that it takes days, rather months altogether, for a single grain of wheat or rice to reach from farm to a plate. And thus, wasting food in today’s world, where millions die in starvation each day, should be an absolute No-No. Furthermore, children could be involved in the preparation and cooking of meals so as to teach them not to let go of the efforts into waste. Besides, it has been seen that meals eaten jointly in the family also encourage children to appreciate the value of food.
Focus on ‘practical learning’
Take your little one on a visit to the nearby farm(s) to help them attain practical experience of how exactly the food is grown. This way, they can be elucidated more about the crop cycle and how much sweat and blood go into growing the crops. Be it the hot summer days, the cold winter nights, or the days of heavy rain, farmers have to anyhow take care of the crops so that we can enjoy wholesome meals while sitting in the comfort of our homes. This will help them understand the value of food and why they must express gratitude towards the farmers.
Let them know about the real heroes who are trying to fight against food wastage
We all know how much each household got affected during the covid induced lockdown, especially the poor strata. We also know about the food shortage that arose during the lockdown. Almost 92% of poor households faced difficulty accessing food during the lockdown.
This is when a few noble and selfless souls came forward to fight food wastage and instead help those in need of food. For instance, Somdip Dey & Suman Saha developed a food-sharing platform called the Nosh App to fight the food wastage problems during those difficult days. Through it, people with surplus food at home could assist the ones in need of it. Also, several individuals like Mrs. Papiya Kar came forward to help the poor and the needy solve their hunger issues.
Let your kids know about such people and several those who help the people in need of food. This would serve as a motivation for them to understand that they must try and reduce food wastage by as much as possible.
Determined & consistent efforts can help pave the path
As an institute imparting values and education to these little spirits, we at Delhi Public School, Sushant Lok, Gurgaon, recognized among the top CBSE schools in Gurgaon, firmly believe that the real solution to help fight the problem of food wastage and hunger in the country is to educate our youth about the value of food.
Thus, while we, at our school, are taking consistent efforts in this direction, we urge the parents to join hands in teaching kids about food and its value. When we work in tandem, we would be readily able to enforce the belief in the kids that food is something that must be valued and appreciated. We firmly believe that a few minor changes done today will certainly bring a major difference tomorrow!