SDG 2 Zero Hunger

by Tale Weavers &
The Red Elephant Foundation

On 1 January 2016, the 17 Sustainable TALE
Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, weavers
adopted by world leaders in September
2015 at an historic UN Summit, weaving tales, breaking stereotypes
officially came into force.

Over the next fifteen years, with these
new Goals that universally apply to all,
countries will mobilize efforts to end all
forms of poverty, fight inequalities and
tackle climate change, while ensuring
that no one is left behind.

Stories for Awareness is a collaboration
between The Red Elephant Foundation
and Tale Weavers to engage with
children and build awareness around the
17 Sustainable Development Goals.

This story throws light on SDG 2:
Zero Hunger.

Story: Sharda Vishwanathan
Illustrations: Bairave Sajenthan

“It’s the same boring lunch today,”

sighed Patrick as he sat at the lunch table
in his school munching on some salad,
broccoli soup, 2 chapatis (whole wheat
bread) and some vegetable curry.
“How I wish, we could eat burgers/
pizzas and desserts everyday,” added
Mia.
“Yes chocolate waffles with whipped
cream, cupcakes, chocolates and potato
chips, what an ideal meal that would be,”
Sherry chimed in.
“Maybe you forgot to add unhealthy
before your ideal meal,” quipped
Raghav.



“Don’t you enjoy eating waffles and cupcakes?”

asked Sherry with a confused look on her face.
“Of course I do. Not just waffles and cupcakes, but also
burgers and pizzas. But it is important that we eat food
that is healthy and nutritious,” replied Raghav, “Fruits,
vegetables and whole grains, all have different nutrients
that improve our health and well-being.”
“You are right Raghav,” said Kirthi, their senior and
mentor in school as she joined the conversation.
“But Kirthi, is it true that healthy meals help a person
to stay focused and have energy for a longer period of
time?” asked Raghav.

“Yes. It is important that there is a balanced intake of

all nutrients required for the body to function,”
explained Kirthi, “and
school meal programs like
ours help children achieve
the required nutrition
level.”

“Do all schools have such programs?” wondered

Mia.
“Not all schools have such programs. In fact, there are
millions of people around the world who cannot afford
a meal, let alone a balanced healthy meal,” explained
Kirthi.
“What do you mean? Won’t they be hungry if they
don’t eat?” asked Patrick.

“Yes, hunger is widespread and a lot of countries

face shortage of food,” answered Kirthi.
“In fact, in our social sciences room, I saw a World
Hunger Map and a lot of countries are marked in red,”
said Raghav.
“Come on, let’s go to the room and look at the map,”
expressed Kirthi and everybody nodded.
As they walked through the corridor, Mia asked, “But
why do countries face food shortage?”



“Well, drought is the most common reason that

causes food shortage which leads to hunger,” replied
Kirthi.

“Ahhh, is it similar to what our farmers also
experience? I remember watching the news with mom
and dad. Many places in India received low rainfall.
Hence our farmers could not grow crops,” shared
Patrick as they entered the room.

Harini, Kirthi’s classmate was in the room working on
her project.



Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

“Yes Patrick,” said Kirthi, “Now look at the map.

India falls in the moderately high hunger zone and one
of the reasons is severe drought,” explained Kirthi.

“Oh no, at least half of the world falls in the hunger
zone,” said Sherry and shook her head in dismay.

“So you mean all these regions experience droughts?”
asked Mia.

“Drought is just one reason. Severe snowfall, floods,
earthquakes and other natural disasters make places
inaccessible and it becomes difficult to take food
supplies to people living there. Sometimes war and
conflict make it impossible for people to get food and
water even if they have farms and good growth of
crops,” explained Kirthi.



“Hmmmm ...I cannot stay hungry and whenever I

am hungry I eat whatever I find,” whispered Patrick.
“And that is the problem,” pat came a reply from
Harini, “when you are hungry and eat anything, your
body lacks the essential nutrients to function properly
and this leads to malnutrition or undernutrition. When
you research on the countries that fall in the hunger
zone, you will notice that children in these regions
suffer from malnutrition.”
“How do children find the energy to go to school if they
are malnourished and hungry?” asked Sherry.

“Malnourishment not

only affects the health but
also affects a person’s ability
to study and work.
Thus, a lot of children drop
out of school because they are
malnourished and do not have
the energy to sit in the class,”
explained Harini.

“But how can we end hunger?” asked Patrick.

“You should not waste food and you must always take
healthy meals. While we can all eat desserts and burgers
and enjoy our pizzas from time-to-time, it is important
that we supplement our body with all the essential
vitamins,” replied Kirthi.
“And?”
“Now that you know the problems and are better
informed, you should talk about it with your friends
and make them understand the importance of having a
healthy meal.”

“You can also

make posters
about hunger
to create more
awareness in our
school and in your
neighbourhood,”
suggested Kirthi.

The End

Tale Weavers is an initiative that

aims to engage with children and the
youth through stories that challenge
stereotypes and break the barriers in
creating a just society.
​
We welcome you to our world of stories
where simple conversations, colorful
illustrations, and powerful characters
help break the stereotypes and create
an inclusive learning space which is
free of bias - be it gender, religion, race,
nationality or ethnicity.

The Red Elephant Foundation is an

initiative that is built on the foundations
of story-telling, civilian peacebuilding
and activism for sensitisation on
all drivers of peace - gender, race,
nationality, colour and orientation.

The initiative is titled “Red Elephant”
to stand out as a vehicle that projects
stories that must never be forgotten:
stories that show you such courage that
you should never forget, and stories that
show the world such profound lessons
that the world should never forget. In
doing so, the initiative aims at creating
awareness and opening up channels
of communication towards creating
societies of tolerance, peacebuilding
and equality.