When former President Herbert Hoover traveled to Colombia in May of 1946, he found some much needed help in the struggle against global hunger. Hoover was serving as a food ambassador for President Harry Truman. Colombia was one of over 30 nations he visited to assess food supplies in the midst of a major global hunger crisis.
Hoover wrote in his memoirs, “We were also greeted by a most eloquent and understanding editorial in El Tiempo, the leading journal in Colombia. It described accurately the great food crisis in the world and urged the people and the Colombian government to co-operate in full.”
He stated how his food crisis team also made use of this editorial in other Spanish-speaking countries. He noted that the media in Colombia helped spread the word about the crisis, giving extensive coverage of his global hunger speech in Chicago earlier that month.
With food supplies so limited after World War II, Colombia did what it could to help other nations. The Colombian government agreed to cancel its request “in Washington for 50,000 tons of wheat,” and agreed to put on a food conservation program. Hoover stated, "Colombian leadership and Colombian moral support are of infinite value" in the fight against hunger and poverty in the aftermath of World War II.
Today, Colombia needs this same spirit as it struggles with its own hunger, poverty, and internal conflict. Fighting between the government and insurgent forces has displaced millions of people. Fortunately, there are heroes dedicated to fighting these social injustices such as the members of the
Founded by singer Shakira Mebarak, the Barefoot Foundation supports schools in Colombia that are giving children a chance to escape poverty. Crucial to the Barefoot Foundation’s mission of education for all is providing school meals. Recently, Camilo Guerrero González, of the Barefoot Foundation in Colombia, discussed the importance of school meals for children.
How many children are receiving school meals from the Barefoot Foundation in Colombia?
Currently, 4.000 children receive daily meals in Fundación Pies Descalzos (Barefoot Foundation) supported schools:
- Quibdó, in the pacific región of Chocó: Pies Descalzos School.
- Barranquilla, in the caribbean coast: Las Americas School and Fundación Pies Descalzos School.
- Soacha, in the outskirts of Bogotá: Gabriel García Márquez School.
Discuss the importance of these meals in terms of improving nutrition, classroom attendance, and performance.
For many children attending our schools, the meal they receive at school is the only they have during the day. Our nutrition program acts as a complement and support to education, because it's evident that well nourished children are in better condition for learning. Good nutrition helps improve concentration and performance during classes. Furthermore, having a full stomach influences overall health status, reducing non-attendance due to sickness.
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