Making a difference 10 grains at a time
Natasha Davison | Contributing Writer
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: World View
With the recent economic crisis in full effect, many students are feeling the pressures of shortage all around. Students are struggling to support themselves financially even with the help of families, scholarships and loans. Yet, many students feel it is their duty to find the time to care for people in other countries who are less fortunate than even themselves. John Breen, a 52-year-old computer programmer, has created a game that allows us to donate rice to starving people in other countries. His Web site, Free Rice, was founded in October 2007 to raise awareness and help put a stop to world hunger.
Unfortunately, with so many people suffering worldwide, it has become somewhat of an impossibility for individuals to donate significant amounts of money. However, with the creation of click-to-donate Web sites, people have the ability to donate without falling behind themselves.
Free Rice is an uncomplicated solution that not only aids in feeding the hungry, but also further improves knowledge. It is an addictive trivia game that allows users to donate 10 grains of rice for every correct question answered. The game began as a simple vocabulary game but now has questions that range from subjects on chemistry to language learning to geography. If a user happens to get a question wrong, the computer stores it and asks it again within a few questions, giving users the opportunity to gain complete comprehension of the material being reviewed.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 1.02 billion people are going hungry every day, and they estimate the numbers to continue to rise throughout this year and into the next. Jennifer Parmelee, a public affairs officer for the United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP) says that this is the first time in human history in which more than a billion people are affected by world hunger. The FAO's 2008 annual report, in which they address food security, agriculture and development economics, attributes this rise to "soaring food prices [which have] resulted in the highest single increase in hunger since 1990-92." These economic hardships facing the global community are having the most devastating effects on the poverty-stricken.
Unfortunately, with so many people suffering worldwide, it has become somewhat of an impossibility for individuals to donate significant amounts of money. However, with the creation of click-to-donate Web sites, people have the ability to donate without falling behind themselves.
Free Rice is an uncomplicated solution that not only aids in feeding the hungry, but also further improves knowledge. It is an addictive trivia game that allows users to donate 10 grains of rice for every correct question answered. The game began as a simple vocabulary game but now has questions that range from subjects on chemistry to language learning to geography. If a user happens to get a question wrong, the computer stores it and asks it again within a few questions, giving users the opportunity to gain complete comprehension of the material being reviewed.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 1.02 billion people are going hungry every day, and they estimate the numbers to continue to rise throughout this year and into the next. Jennifer Parmelee, a public affairs officer for the United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP) says that this is the first time in human history in which more than a billion people are affected by world hunger. The FAO's 2008 annual report, in which they address food security, agriculture and development economics, attributes this rise to "soaring food prices [which have] resulted in the highest single increase in hunger since 1990-92." These economic hardships facing the global community are having the most devastating effects on the poverty-stricken.
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