Today is International Human Rights Day

This is a guest blog post by our 3SquaresVT Advocacy Manager, Angela Smith-Dieng.

Today I join people around the world as we celebrate International Human Rights Day, the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  This document has become the foundation for how the international community measures different countries’ treatment of their people. 

Currently, one billion people live in chronic hunger on our planet, the vast majority in underdeveloped countries in Asia and Africa.  At the same time, hunger is hiding in our midst - 1 in 7 Vermonters cannot consistently afford enough food to eat.  On this day, Vermonters have the opportunity to reflect: Do we consider having enough healthy food a right that every Vermonter should be guaranteed?

Over 200 Vermonters took the 3SquaresVT Challenge the week before Thanksgiving as part of a national movement to raise awareness about hunger and reflected on this question.  They were challenged to live on a food budget of only $1.72 per meal for a week, and many found it to be an exhausting and eye-opening experience.  Most struggled to stick to the budget and either grew lethargic and cranky from the lack of nutrients and variety or gave up the challenge altogether before the end of the week.  And yet, there are over 85,000 Vermonters who must live on this limited budget every day, forced to make tough choices at the grocery store and at home.  As one Challenge participant shared, “For me, this is only a game for a week.  The real winners are those who live this challenge day in and day out.”

Part of the rationale to raise awareness in this hands-on way was to encourage people to engage in making change.  In the debates on Capitol Hill, the safety net that America has worked so hard to develop has come under multiple attacks in the scramble to cut spending and reduce the deficit.  This comes at a time of rising poverty and record-breaking 3SquaresVT participation – 1 in 6 Vermonters receives 3SquaresVT.  Under its current structure, the program does its job well, reducing hunger and improving people’s lives.  In fact, Vermont was just ranked second in the nation for lifting the most people out of poverty when 3SquaresVT benefits were taken into account.  Without its nutrition benefits, Vermont would see both immediate and long-term consequences as more people would suffer hunger and health care costs would rise.  This is not a cost we can afford to bear as a state or as a nation.

International Human Rights Day provides us with a great opportunity to celebrate the gains we have made in building a more just world, but is also a reminder to reaffirm our commitment to making change and fighting injustice both at home and around the world, including the fight to end hunger.  I know that I want to live in a world where getting enough good food to eat is no longer a privilege but a right we all share.