Today is World Hunger Day and The Hunger Project UK have been celebrating and raising money with music.
After previous events in large theatres and concert halls, this year’s approach is ‘up close and personal’, culminating in tonight’s concerts at London’s Pizza Express Jazz Club with Joe McElderry & Friends.
If you can’t support the initiative in person, Joe McElderry, who won the sixth series of The X Factor, has recorded a duet with vocal legend Dionne Warwick which can be bought and downloaded online.
This anthemic song encourages the whole world to sing with one voice to end hunger once and for all, for every individual and within every community worldwide. According to UN FAO Goodwill Ambassador and long-term Hunger campaigner, Dionne Warwick,
Given the importance of this challenge and the fact that in 2013 there are still two million children dying from malnutrition every year in conditions of extreme poverty, it seems reasonable for us all to aim to achieve poll position in music charts around the world. If we can think it, we can do it, but only with your help. The key word here is we.
The single, entitled One World One Song, was created by The Hunger Project UK’s Country Director, Tim Holder and his team including legendary songwriter Tony Hatch. The London Community Gospel Choir, the young musicians of Southbank Sinfonia and the 60-strong World Hunger Day Youth Choir can also be heard on the single.
Tim Holder says,
The launch of the One World One Song single is just the beginning of this amazing journey. May 28th is the third anniversary of World Hunger Day. We are delighted to have the opportunity to join together this year with almost 200 NGO and faith group partners as part of the ‘Enough Food for Everyone IF’ Campaign. In the words of One World One Song: “A single voice is weak, just a whisper in the dark, but millions joined together will be heard. Let’s be heard!”
In mid-June Northern Ireland will host the G8 summit and The Hunger Project UK calls upon the UK Government and all members of the G8, not only to ensure that they meet their own financial pledges to end Hunger but also that Aid Distribution increasingly empowers communities at grass-roots level. By doing so, these communities have the opportunity to gain skills and increase their income and food production, both vital ingredients in their journey to building their own sustainable future.
Sally Copley, Chair of the IF Campaign, said,
Every 15 seconds a child dies of hunger. There is enough food for everyone, but not everyone has enough food. IF we act now, we can help begin to end this silent scandal.
For more information about ‘One World One Song’, World Hunger Day Unplugged and the launch of the charity single visit http://www.worldhungerday.org
Twitter: @OneWorldOneSong and @WorldHungerDay
http://www.youtube.com/user/WorldHungerDay
Text LOVE 28 £3/£5 or £10 to 70070 to create opportunities for everyone to end their own hunger and poverty. The Hunger Project registered charity number 326688.
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano’) about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.
