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FOOD WANTED

This module aims to bring awareness to the problem of food insecurity, to examine what it means, how it relates to poverty and hunger, and to what extent it is a problem in our affluent city. It is easy to think of these problems existing elsewhere, in countries struggling with famine, warfare or abject poverty, but hunger is much closer to home than most people think, with more than 1.5 million people suffering from food insecurity right here in Hong Kong.

The Problem of Poverty & Food Security

Some Background Facts to get you Started.

THE GLOBAL PROBLEM
  1. Around the world, we produce more than enough food to feed the global population – but more than 810 million people still go to bed hungry every night.
  2. Poverty is the principal cause of hunger. The causes of poverty include poor people’s lack of resources, lack of education, inequality, conflict and natural disasters.
  3. The international poverty line is US$1.90 (~HK$15.60) per day.
  4. Regions with a high poverty rate are often found to be small, fragile and affected by conflict or civil war. For example, the majority of people in sub-Saharan Africa live below the poverty line.
  5. As of 2018, 8% of employed workers and their families worldwide lived in extreme poverty.
  6. 122 women are living in extreme poverty for every 100 men in the age group 25-34.
  7. 1 in 6 children were living in extreme poverty before the COVID-19 pandemic. That figure is expected to rise.
  8. Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
  9. 2.37 billion people did not have access to enough safe and nutritious food in 2020.
  10. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a real challenge to the UN Sustainable Goal to end poverty by 2030. It is estimated that global poverty may increase for the first time since 1990.
THE HONG KONG PROBLEM
  1. Together with Paris and Zurich, Hong Kong is ranked the most expensive city in the world to live in.
  2. In 2021, according to the Hong Kong Poverty Situation Report for 2020, before policy intervention, just over 23% of Hong Kong’s population – 1.653 million people – live in poverty.
  3. The poverty rate of children aged below 18 is 27%, meaning nearly 1 in 4 children live in poverty and thus struggle to get enough to eat. Among seniors, the rate is 45% and among women, it is 24.2%
  4. The minimum wage was introduced in 2010. Since 2019 it has been set at HK$37.5 per hour, this is not in keeping with inflation. 
  5. In 2020 there were 805,000 working poor in Hong Kong.
  6. Between 2015 and 2020, the number of street sleepers registered on the Social Welfare Department’s (SWD) street sleepers registry rose 60% from 896 to 1,423.
  7. 45% of the population live in public housing.
  8. More than 200,000 people live in sub-divided units, coffins, cage homes and rooftops.
  9. Low-income families spend 31% of their income on food.
  10. Daily food expenditure for low-income families is HK$58 per person.
FHK Poverty infographic

INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES

Warm Up Activities

Understanding Terms
Make Cluster Diagram
  • Write down all the words that come to mind when you think of poverty and food insecurity.
  • Create a written or web-based cluster diagram to define terms, causes, and effects.
Brainstorm
  • Make a list of all the ways hunger can affect both individuals and society.
  • What are some of the causes of hunger, both globally and in Hong Kong?
  • Think about possible actions to take to help solve the problem of hunger.
RESOURCES

Online Tools

KEY SKILLS
  • Critical Thinking
  • Exploring Cause and Effect
  • Problem Solving
TEACHING IDEAS

Starter activities are designed to explore what the students already know and get them thinking about the topic.

With ‘Understanding Terms’ students can start on their own, then in small groups to compare answers and put their definitions together. The class can then vote on which is the best definition.

Main Activities

1. Create an Infographic

  • Watch the video about world hunger in the Resources section.
  • Using the information in the video, design and create an infographic that you can use to raise awareness about global food insecurity.
RESOURCES

Video

Online Tools

CURRICULUM LINKS
  • Art and Design
  • Economics
  • Social Studies
  • Individuals and Society
KEY SKILLS
  • Information Processing
  • Creativity
TEACHING IDEAS

Students can research on the web different styles of infographics. You can either allow them to use a template from the internet or get them to create their own.

2. Write a Comparative Report

  • What are the main forces behind hunger and food insecurity worldwide?
  • What do you think are the reasons for food insecurity in Hong Kong?
  • Write a comparative report on food insecurity in Hong Kong and other countries in the world. You can choose which countries you want to compare but choose at least 2 other than Hong Kong.
  • You can include visual aids such as graphs and charts in your report.
RESOURCES

Web Links & Articles

Toolbox

Video

CURRICULUM LINKS
    • Economics
    • Social Studies
    • Individuals and Society
KEY SKILLS
  • Comparative Writing
  • Report Writing
  • Creating Graphs and Charts
TEACHING IDEAS

This would work well as a whole class brainstorming session to get the students thinking about the topic.

Once they have got some ideas as a class, they should work independently on the report.

3. HK$30 Meal Challenge 

  • Imagine you only have $30 per person, per day to live on.
  • What sort of food do you think you would eat?
  • Would you be able to eat regular healthy meals?
  • Using the Feeding Hong Kong virtual shopping list in the Resources, create a 1-day meal plan for a family of 4. You will only have a rice cooker and a single hob to cook your meals with.
  • You have $30 per person, you can decide whether to spread that over 2 meals or 3.
  • Use the food pyramid in the Resources to try to create a balanced diet 
RESOURCES
CURRICULUM LINKS
  • Home Economics
  • Health and Nutrition
  • Economics
  • Mathematics
KEY SKILLS
  • Planning a Menu
  • Collaboration
  • Problem Solving
  • Budgeting
TEACHING IDEAS

Discuss with students the importance of a healthy, nutritious, balanced diet. Why is it important, what are the negative effects of not getting enough nutritious food?

Students work in groups of 4-6 to come up with their meal plans. When they are done they should present their meal plans to the class.

 

 

4. Create An Instructional Video 

  • Discuss the importance of having a healthy and balanced diet.
  • How does food affect how we behave and perform?
  • You are going to try to create one healthy, low budget meal for two people using no more than HK$30 on ingredients.
  • You can divide the cost of the ingredients for the meal. For example, if you buy 6 eggs that cost HK$30 but only use 1 egg in your recipe, then the cost is HK$5.
  • The meal should be healthy and nutritious.
  • Research where you can buy ingredients at a low cost.
  • Make a video of you cooking the dish.
  • In the video commentary, talk about:
      • what your dish is and its ingredients.
      • why you chose that particular meal.
      • detailed instructions on the cooking method.
      • how easy/difficult it was to get the ingredients and stick to the costs.
      • what it would be like to live on a budget of HK$30 per day for food.
CURRICULUM LINKS
  • Media Studies
  • Home Economics
  • Health and Nutrition
  • Economics
  • Mathematics
  • Individuals and Society
KEY SKILLS
  • Creating and Presenting a Video
  • Cooking Skills
  • Planning a Menu
TEACHING IDEAS

This activity will work best either over 2 or 3 lessons or with the students having time to do their research as homework prior to the lesson. They will need to source where to buy their ingredients prior to cooking the meal.

If there is access to kitchens for the students to cook in, they can cook the meal and make the video in school. If not, it can be set as homework.

5.  Create a K-W-L Chart 

  • Think about the words hunger, food insecurity and food security.
  • Fill in the K-W-L (what I Know, what I Want to know, what I’ve Learnt) chart in the Resources.
  • Research information on the topic. What are the differences between hunger and food insecurity?
  • Visualise hunger. What does it look like? What does it feel like? Have you ever experienced severe hunger? What do people who are often hungry because they lack food look like?
  • Think about what misconceptions or stereotypes you might have had, have they changed during your research?
RESOURCES

Web Links and Articles

FHK Resources

CURRICULUM LINKS
  • Individuals and Society
  • Social Studies
  • PSHE and Citizenship
KEY SKILLS
  • Critical Thinking
  • Researching
  • Visualisation
  • Independent Thought
TEACHING IDEAS

This could be a good opportunity to hold a class discussion on stereotypes, why we have them, recognising when we have them, being aware of the negative consequences of them, and how to stop them.

 

 6.  Write a Story 

  • Think about the reasons people might face food insecurity and hunger
  • What might have happened in their lives to put them there?
  • Has something changed in their circumstances or has it always been like this?
  • Using the videos in the Resources as inspiration, write a short story about someone facing poverty, how they struggle and how they cope.
  • Your story can be about a child or an adult.
  • Think about what type of story you will write. What will your theme be, will it be a positive story or a sad one?
  • Decide on your narrative point of view, e.g. will you tell the story in the first person or as a narrator.
  • The stories should address the following topics:
    1. What problems do they face?
    2. What can they do?
    3. How and where can they find help?
    CURRICULUM LINKS
    • Language Arts
    • Social Studies

    • Individuals and Society

    KEY SKILLS
    • Creative Writing
    • Narrative Point of View
    • Appropriate Use of Language and Tone
    TEACHING IDEAS

    Have students work in groups to discuss the topic.

    Discuss narrative point of view. How will that affect the way the story is told.

    Ask a few students to share their stories. Use these stories to begin a discussion about how people can find themselves needing help.

    7.  Debate

     

    • Think about the following statements and decide how you feel about them. Discuss the statements with your classmates and be prepared to explain and justify your views.

    The world today produces enough food to feed everyone.

    Food is a basic human right.

    Population control is the best way to deal with the problem of poverty and food insecurity.

    It is possible to eat healthy, nutritious meals on a budget of $30 per day.

    RESOURCES

    Web Links and Articles

    CURRICULUM LINKS
    • Language Arts
    • Economics
    • Social Studies
    • Individual and Societies
    KEY SKILLS
    • Persuasive Language
    • Language of Debates
    • Public Speaking
    • Critical Thinking
    • Expressing Opinions
    TEACHING IDEAS

    4 Corner Debate
    Organise the classroom into 4 areas and hold a 4 Corner Debate, with the students choosing to Strongly Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree with the statements.

    8.  Write a Letter to the Editor

    • Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, expressing your thoughts on poverty in Hong Kong, with a specific focus on food. Think about some of the following questions:
        • What are the causes and effects of food insecurity?
        • Are you aware of areas or populations in Hong Kong that experience a higher degree of poverty and food insecurity?
        • What have you learned about food insecurity that others might not know? What are some ways you can influence attitudes or behaviours?
        • What resources in your community address poverty and hunger, such as a food bank or a community garden? How do these resources help the community?

    Extension: Publish your letter in your school newspaper and/or send your letter to a local newspaper. 

    CURRICULUM LINKS
    • Social Studies
    • Economics
    • Language Arts
    • Individual and Societies
    KEY SKILLS
    • Expressing Opinions
    • Persuasive Writing
    • Independent Thought
    • Letter Writing
    • Research Skills
    TEACHING IDEAS

    Provide students with some examples of ‘Letters to the Editor’ from both local and international newspapers, or have them find some online in the classroom.

    Their letter can be a general response to the poverty situation in Hong Kong or a response to a news article such as the ones in the Resources.

     

    9.  Create a Video Presentation

    • In groups, you are going to create a video presentation on the subject of poverty and food insecurity in Hong Kong.
    • The information from this page and the Feeding Hong Kong infographic in the Resources should give you all the facts you need.
    • What will be the focus of your presentation?
    • How will you approach the topic?
    • Think of ways you can make the presentation interesting and what visuals you might be able to use.
    • You will need to organise your group so that everyone has a role. Who will write the script, be the videographer, the presenter, researcher, etc?
    • Present your video to your class for feedback.
    RESOURCES

    FHK Resources

    Online Tools

    CURRICULUM LINKS
    • Media Studies
    • Social Studies
    • Individuals and Society
    • Language Arts
    KEY SKILLS
    • Presentation Skills
    • Communication
    • Expressing Opinions
    • Collaboration
    • Video Editing
    • Creativity
    TEACHING IDEAS

    Give students the freedom to create their video presentations in whatever form they choose. As long as they stay focused on the content and the topic, how they present it is up to them.

     

    10.  Picture Box

    • Using the pictures in the Resources section, think about what inspires people to help others. 
    • Create a story based on the images, you can use just one picture or a selection.
    • What point of view will you use, how will this affect the story?
      RESOURCES
      CURRICULUM LINKS
      • Language Arts
      • Social Studies
      • Individuals and Society
      KEY SKILLS
      • Creative Writing
      • Narrative Point of View
      TEACHING IDEAS

      ‘Students work in groups discussing the pictures before choosing which ones they want to use.

      They should work individually on their story.

      11. Write a Poem 

      • Write a poem in response to the crisis of food insecurity.
      • Choose a perspective to write from. Will it be in 1st person, 3rd person, etc?
      • How do you feel – inspired, angry, hopeful?
      • Will it be a thoughtful poem, a protest, a ballad, a portrait poem?
      • Think about different types of poems (Rhyming Couplets, Haiku, Free Verse etc.) and what structure you want to use.
        RESOURCES
        CURRICULUM LINKS
        • English Language
        • English Literature
        KEY SKILLS
        • Creativity
        • Descriptive Language
        • Poetic Devices
        • Creative Writing
        TEACHING IDEAS

        teachwriting.org has some great resources for teaching poetry, such as 7 Poetry activities students love.

        The Poetry Society is also a good place for top tips for teaching poetry.

        12. Class Project – Helping People in Need

        •  As a class, come up with an activity that will help people in need in the community.
        • Think of something that will be ongoing rather than a one-time event.
        • Decide on the time frame of the action – a month, a term, etc.
        • Give your project a name.
        • Write an action plan for the project. You can use the Feeding Hong Kong Action Plan template in the Resources, or create your own.
        • Assign leadership roles. These can be alternated around the class.
        • You can use the Feeding Hong Kong Charity Network to find information on charities that you may be able to help.

        NOTE: You will need to contact the charities to see if there are any opportunities, or if they are rules and regulations you need to be aware of. For example, charities DO NOT accept home-cooked food, including cakes and other baked goods. However, you can hold a bake sale and donate the proceeds to a charity.

          CURRICULUM LINKS
          • Social Studies
          • Individuals and Societies
          KEY SKILLS
          • Collaboration

          • Problem Solving

          • Expressing Opinions

          • Organisation

          TEACHING IDEAS

          This ideally should be a project that covers the term.

          Help students anticipate problems they may encounter, where it is lack of resources or resistance from people involved.

           

          Further Discussion

          1. How would you know if someone was at risk of experiencing hunger? Are there conditions that could serve as warning signs?
          2. Who should be responsible for addressing hunger and food insecurity? (Private, public or civic responsibility).
          3. Do you think an unhealthy diet is cheaper than a healthy diet? How would you know? What measurements would you use to compare foods?
          4. In 2013 Pope Francis said “Throwing away food is like stealing from the table of those who are poor and hungry.” What do you think about his statement?
          5. How do water risks (water quality and scarcity) impact hunger and food availability?
          food waste further discussion

          ACTION: WHAT YOU CAN DO

          At HOME

          Family
          Involvement

          • Think of ways you can volunteer in the community as a family.
          • What type of service would fit with your family’s lifestyle?
          • How will you persuade your family members to participate with you?
          • Create an action plan with a time frame.

           

          Resources

          At SCHOOL

          Organise a
          School Famine

          • Read the instructions on the World Vision website in the Resources below and decide which action to take. 
          • Write an action plan on how you are going to organise the event – for your class/year/whole school?

          Extension: Collaborate with other schools and organise an inter-school Food Famine.

           

          Resources

          IN THE COMMUNITY

          Write a Cookbook!

          • Choose a food charity that you will donate the proceeds of your book to.
          • Decide on the theme of your book: leftovers, favourite meals from families you know, a teen cookbook, etc.
          • Collect recipes and photos from your friends, families, neighbours, etc.
          • There are low-cost online publishers that will take a digital document and turn it into a beautifully bound book that you can then sell.
          • Sell you book in your neighbourhood, on Facebook, etc. and donate the proceeds to your chosen charity.

          Want to do More?

          • A food drive is a great way to collect nutritious food for those in need whilst raising awareness on food waste and hunger in your community.
          • The Drive can be organised at your school or in your local community.
          • Are you a member of a local club that would be interested in being involved in the project?
          • How will you organise to have the collected food delivered to Feeding Hong Kong?

          Resources

          FHK Host a Food Drive

          • Set up a Feeding Hong Kong Club at your school and organise activities to raise awareness on food waste and hunger.

          • If you already have an Environmental Club or Committee at your school, maybe this could be a sub-section of that.

          Resources

          How to start an environmental club at your school Tips for starting and  maintaining an environmental club
          • Research different charities in your local area.

          • Would you like to help a particular sector of society, such as children, seniors, refugees, women?

          • Make a list of charities you would like to volunteer at.

          • Contact your chosen charities and ask if they have any volunteer opportunities

          Resources

          • Sign up as volunteers to help us collect surplus bread from bakeries every Tuesday and Thursday evening.  This is a great way to get your family involved in saving food that would otherwise end up in a landfill, going instead to feed people in need.

            • Register to become a bread runner today. You can sign up as an individual or a pair.

            • Choose 1-2 stores in the area of your choice.

            • On the night, turn up at your chosen store(s) at closing time, pick up the surplus bread and deliver it to our warehouse.

            Resources