We are calling on you to take action in the days running up to World Food Day. Each day counting down to October 16, we will issue a daily challenge as part of our A Billion for a Billion campaign and the ONE Campus Challenge.

With only two days to go until the big day, today’s challenge is about using the knowledge you’ve collected.

Action: Submit an OCC Blog entry about hunger If you have your own blog, you can write about hunger issues there. Otherwise, submit a blog entry on the problem of hunger, what your school is doing about it this month, or what you think the United States or world leaders should do about it. Include a picture of yourself, your OCC Team, or something hunger-related, and make your entry about 200 words or so.

Where to begin?

These are three of the biggest issues on the table:

1. There are more hungry people in the world today than ever before: this year, the number of chronically hungry in the world reached 1.02 billion.
2. With the financial crisis and high food prices, feeding the hungry is tougher than ever: more mouths to feed means the knock-on effect of economic woes and high food prices is a recipe for disaster. Climate change is proving a crisis multiplier bringing cycles of extreme weather closer together.

   The economic downturn affects us in two ways. First, fundraising has become harder. Second, while the apex of the crisis hit developed nations last year, it swiftly moved on to hammer poorer nations, slashing trade investment and remittances. Third, in developing countries, food costs up to 70% more than it did the year before — at the peak of the food crisis.

   In short, when more money is desperately needed, less money is available.

3. Good nutrition is vital to our planet’s future health and prosperity: a full stomach keeps kids in school and helps them focus, an important investment for any country. Adequate nutrition is essential to mental and physical development, especially from womb to age 2. Without it, children can suffer irreversible damage. Iron deficiency is the world’s most common form of malnutrition. A diet lacking iron impedes cognitive development, extreme fatigue and heart complications.

   66 million children attend school hungry in developing countries. But it only takes 25 cents a day to fill the cup and provide a nutritious meal.

   The World Food Day Action Countdown is the result of a joined initiative between the Billion for a Billioncampaign (calling for the online billion ot help the hungry billion) and the ONE Campus Challenge (that invites university students to take part in the fight against hunger for credits)