Indian Franciscans at the forefront for food security

The concept of “food security", elaborated at the UN, implies that "every person has the amount of food needed every day".

India children being fed

India:  The Franciscans in India are engaged in the fight against hunger and are committed to contribute to food security of the population at a national level.

The Franciscans of AFFI (the Association of Franciscan Families in India) have joined a national consultation on poverty alleviation and extreme hunger in the country, held in early November in Bangalore.

The conference highlighted that in many states in India, tribal, the poor in rural areas, slum dwellers, Dalits and migrants still live marginalized and are not granted the right to food.

The concept of “food security", elaborated at the UN, implies that "every person has the amount of food needed every day".

The President of AFFI Father A.J. Mathew OFM Cap said, "The society's growth is not in a rapid socio-economic improvement of the system that brings benefits to a few, but lies in a total growth where no one is excluded. This is the focus of the Gospel and also the prophetic sense of the Franciscan charism."

AFFI brings together all the male and female religious congregations and Indian lay associations inspired by Francis of Assisi.

On the basis of the concepts of inclusion and inclusive development, the Franciscans are preparing concrete action plans in several states, such as Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Maharashtra, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. They will focus on the elderly who are abandoned, on child malnutrition, women's welfare and rights of the indigenous tribes, especially in rural areas.

Source: Agenzia Fides