Jay Rayner leads social media campaignin Rwanda to help launch the biggest push in history to end hunger
Jay Rayner - @Jayrayner1, journalist and food writer, is in Rwandawith Ruth Clemens, food blogger @thepinkwhisk to lead a global on-the-ground live launch in the biggest pushes in history to end hunger. The charity's fight against hunger marks the second phase of its No Child Born to Die campaign aiming to save 15 million child lives by 2015.
Save the Children’s work in Rwanda will inform Jay and Ruth as they lead a social media firestorm that promises to tear its way through the online community; part of a massive celebrity fronted global drive to alert the world to the 2.6 million child deaths from malnutrition a year.
Jay Rayner, comments: “I’ve been a food journalist for many years. As I say on twitter, ‘I eat, and I write about it’. Although I’m known now as a restaurant critic, I have a long history as a general reporter and journalist specialising in social policy. Recently I have written about the impact of the current economic slowdown on the poorest families in Rwanda; now it’s time to look at the even greater challenges posed to those around the world who do not have enough to eat, especially children, and in doing so I hope I’ll be writing about my experiences and helping to support Save the Children in their campaign to give children a life free from hunger.”
Soaring food prices and one of the world’s highest rates of malnutrition are threatening to leave almost half of the children inRwandafacing lifelong health problems. The cost of maize, one of the country’s main staples, has more than doubled in the last year, making it increasingly difficult for families to afford anything but the most basic diet. A lack of affordable nutritious food means 45% of Rwandan children are suffering from stunted growth – one of the highest rates globally. Children grow up stunted when their brains and bodies are starved of the vital nutrients they need to grow. Stunted children do not grow as tall as they should, the immune system is weakened and in the worst cases the brain will not develop to its full potential.
Every hour of every day, 300 children die because of malnutrition, often simply because they don’t have access to the basic, nutritious foods that we take for granted in rich countries. Last yearBritainshowed powerful leadership on helping the world’s poorest children, galvanising global action and funds to secure vaccinations for millions of children, potentially saving four million lives. Save the Children is today asking David Cameron to do the same to stop children dying because of malnutrition. The charity is asking him to help lead the biggest push in history to reduce hunger, and hold a World Hunger Summit to agree and fund concrete action to tackle this crisis.
Social media presents an opportunity to engage people around the world to be part of this fight to end hunger, by adding their voices to this call for a world hunger summit and by naming their own day when they will take action. People can find out more by visiting www.savethechildren.org.uk/nameaday or by following #nameaday via @savechildrenuk or @savechildrenpr.
People are being invited to tweet, retweet and take part in the charity’s first global twitter chat which will start in Australia and end in Mexico spanning 3 continents and 12 different time zones under the hashtag #hiddencrisis. Jay and Ruth will be hosting the chat from 12.30pm on February 15th fromRwanda, where they will be taking part in the country’s own simultaneous nutrition drive alongside Rwandan Health Minister Dr Agnes Binagwaho.
Bloggers are being asked to #nameaday on their blogs in honour of the campaign, to tag blogging friends and ask them to do the same. Foodies can also donate recipes for an e-cookbook edited by Ruth Clemens and Christine Mosler (one of the #passiton bloggers), which Save the Children plans to sell to raise awareness and also raise funds.
Ruth Clemens from Poyton, Cheshire, a ‘manic mummy baker’ with three boys, who was runner up in the BBC2 cake-making contest The Great British Bake Off, and a successful food blogger www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk, was invited by Save the Children because she offers a fresh perspective and can engage new audiences with the crucial message that no child should be born to die hungry.
Ruth Clemens said: “The difference that Save the Children make to the lives of vulnerable children across the world is phenomenal. I feel very privileged to be given the opportunity to join the next phase of the No Child Born to Die campaign to help raise awareness of the hidden hunger problem of child malnutrition. Every child deserves the right to a life free from hunger.
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